Garneau v. Raytheon Company

323 F. Supp. 391, 3 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 215, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14395, 3 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8153
CourtDistrict Court, D. Massachusetts
DecidedMarch 1, 1971
DocketCiv. A. 70-353-C
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 323 F. Supp. 391 (Garneau v. Raytheon Company) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Garneau v. Raytheon Company, 323 F. Supp. 391, 3 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 215, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14395, 3 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8153 (D. Mass. 1971).

Opinion

OPINION

CAFFREY, District Judge.

This is a civil action brought by eight female employees of Raytheon Company against Raytheon Company, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the *392 State Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industries. Jurisdiction of this court is invoked under 28 U.S.C. § 1331(a), 28 U.S.C. § 1343(4), and 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f).

Declaratory relief is sought pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202.

The amended complaint recites that plaintiffs are all female employees of Raytheon and residents of various Massachusetts communities; that beginning in February of 1967 each of the plaintiffs filed an application with Raytheon seeking advancement from Class 10 to Class 6, which applications were renewed on various occasions thereafter in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement between the Company and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1505, of which all of the plaintiffs are members. Four of the plaintiffs have never been advanced from Class 10 to the higher grade and four of the plaintiffs were advanced from Class 10 on various dates in 1968.

It is further alleged that on January 3, 1968, and on numerous subsequent occasions, the company has filled openings in the Class 6 level by hiring or promoting male employees, notwithstanding plaintiffs’ pending applications. Plaintiffs allege that they are duly qualified for these promotions and that because of their sex they have been denied same as a result of discrimination on the part of Raytheon, with respect to compensation, terms, conditions and- privileges of employment. The amended complaint also seeks a declaration that this is a class action on behalf of all similarly situated female employees of defendant Raytheon.

Count II of the amended complaint seeks a declaration that Mass.G.L. ch. 149, sec. 56, which provides that female employees shall not work more than nine hours in any one day and not more than forty-eight hours in any one week, is unconstitutional, because it is in conflict with the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and that, therefore, in the light of the supremacy clause of the Constitution, Article VI, Clause 2, the state law may not be adhered to or relied upon by Raytheon. Discrimination on the part of Raytheon is alleged because of its practice of allowing male employees to work in excess of nine hours a day and in excess of forty-eight hours a week on an overtime basis.

Count III of the amended complaint alleges that defendant Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Industries is required by state law to seek to enforce Mass.G.L. ch. 149, sec. 56. Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief against the enforcement of the state law, declaratory relief regarding the invalidity thereof, and money damages, including reasonable attorneys’ fees.

The matter came before the court upon plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment as to the prayers for a declaration that Mass. G.L. ch. 149, sec. 56, is unconstitutional; that female employees are entitled to the same opportunities with respect to hours of employment as are granted to male employees; for a permanent injunction directing Raytheon to extend to female employees the same overtime opportunities as are extended to male employees occupying the same employment status; and for a permanent injunction prohibiting the Commissioner, Department of Labor and Industries, from taking any steps to enforce Mass. G.L. ch. 149, sec. 56, insofar as it limits the number of hours which females covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 may work. The matter also came before the court upon the motion of defendant Raytheon for summary judgment as to Counts I and II. The matter was briefed and argued by counsel.

Raytheon’s motion for summary judgment as to Counts I and II is based on two grounds, (1) that Counts I and II should be dismissed because the amended complaint was filed more than thirty days after notice to the plaintiffs by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that it had been unable to effect voluntary compliance by Raytheon; and (2) that Count II should be *393 dismissed because the claim contained therein regarding overtime restrictions for women employees was not the subject of the charge submitted by plaintiffs to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e) provides in pertinent part as follows:

«II * * * the Commission has been unable to obtain voluntary compliance with this subchapter, the Commission shall so notify the person aggrieved and a civil action may, within thirty days thereafter, be brought against the respondent named in the charge (1) by the person claiming to be aggrieved * *

Raytheon contends that the thirty-day period began on January 19, 1970, when plaintiffs received a copy of a letter sent to Raytheon’s counsel by the Regional Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Raytheon relies on that portion of the Regional Director’s letter which stated: “We are notifying all of the Charging Parties by copies of this letter, that our conciliation effort has been terminated as unsuccessful.” What Raytheon overlooks in making this contention is another portion of the Regional Director’s letter, stating: “You will be duly advised when the Notices of Right to Sue have been sent to the Charging Parties.” Affidavits on file indicate that notices of the right to sue were received by some plaintiffs on February 27 and 28 and by others on March 13 and 14, 1970. Thus, the complaint, which was filed on March 2, 1970, and was amended to include additional plaintiffs on March 31, 1970, is obviously within thirty days of the receipt by plaintiffs of the notices of right to sue.

42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e) directs the Commission, when unable to obtain voluntary compliance, to “so notify the person aggrieved. * * * ” Notice is defined as follows in 29 C.F.R. 1601.25:

“Notification to an aggrieved person shall include: (a) A copy of the charge, (b) A copy of the Commission’s determination of reasonable cause. (c) Advice concerning his right to proceed in court under Section 706(e) of Title YII.”

A reading of the January 19, 1970 letter from the Regional Director establishes that that letter did not contain element (c) of the definition of “notice” spelled out in 29 C.F.R. 1601.25.

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Bluebook (online)
323 F. Supp. 391, 3 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 215, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14395, 3 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 8153, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garneau-v-raytheon-company-mad-1971.