Harper v. General Grocer Co.

451 F. Supp. 513, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1356, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18638
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedMarch 31, 1978
DocketNo. 76-976C(4)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 451 F. Supp. 513 (Harper v. General Grocer Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. General Grocer Co., 451 F. Supp. 513, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1356, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18638 (E.D. Mo. 1978).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

FILIPPINE, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court for a ruling on the merits following a trial to the Court on alleged violations of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. After consideration of the matter, the Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law as set forth in the memorandum opinion below.

Plaintiff, Walter Harper, is a black citizen of the United .States residing in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. Defendant, General Grocer Company, a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of Missouri, is an employer within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. Plaintiff has complied with all procedural prerequisites so that the Court has jurisdiction of this matter by virtue of 42 U.S.C. § 1981, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and 28 U.S.C. § 1343(4).

Plaintiff applied for a job with General Grocer in September, 1968, as a “regular” or permanent employee. He was informed at that time that the only openings aváilable were for casual employees, who worked only when they were needed. Plaintiff was hired in that capacity and worked as an order filler.

Plaintiff in the course of his employment indicated to his superiors on several occasions that he wished to become a permanent employee, but was told each time that no regular positions were available.

Plaintiff has made a prima facie case of racial discrimination by establishing that he belongs to a racial minority, that he sought regular employment and was not hired, and that after his request for regular employment, others were hired in that capacity. McDonnell Douglas Corporation v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). The burden has thus shifted to the defendant to show that plaintiff was not hired as a regular employee for reasons other than his race. McDonnell Douglas, supra.

Prior to the signing of a Collective Bargaining Agreement between defendant and the Teamsters Union, which covered the period of June 1, 1973 through May 31, 1976, there was no provision for job seniority among the casual workers pool. Attendance and other records were not kept on these employees until January, 1974, because of the sporadic nature of their employment, the availability of employees, and nature of the Company’s workload. The Collective Bargaining Agreement, however, provided that a. casual employee seniority list would be kept by the Company, with places on the list awarded in the order that applications for regular employment were received.

The brunt of plaintiff’s complaint is that defendant failed to inform him of these application procedures in order to deny him seniority as to regular employment hire. Plaintiff submitted his application for regular employment on November 5, 1973, and was ranked fourth on the list. Three white casuals, who, according to plaintiff, began their employment with defendant after plaintiff did, made application on September 4, 1973, November 1, 1973, and November 2,1973, respectively, and were placed in that order on the Casual Employees Seniority List.

Defendant has clearly established by testimony on its behalf that it was not the responsibility of the Company to apprise union members of the terms of the agree[516]*516ment and procedures thereunder. The evidence at trial indicates that the Union, of which plaintiff was a member, was quite insistent that the Company not advise or explain union contracts to union members. Defendant also showed that union meetings were open to casuals, that shop stewards were available to explain the union-management agreement, and that casuals were permitted to file a complaint through a grievance procedure, which plaintiff did not do. Accordingly, if in fact plaintiff was not timely advised of the necessity of making a formal application for permanent employment, it was not the legal responsibility of defendant.

Defendant produced evidence at trial which indicated that seven regular employees were hired from September, 1968, through December, 1969. No evidence was produced by either party as to the qualifications, seniority, or race of these hirees because of the absence of records kept as to casual workers prior to January, 1974. Records reveal that no regular employees were hired from December, 1969, until March, 1974.

Additionally, evidence at trial established that plaintiff was involved in an unauthorized work stoppage in 1971, and was terminated for a period of one or two months. He was rehired — the only one of this group of ten or twelve blacks and whites — only after the intercession of his father, who had worked for the defendant Company for some time. Defendant produced testimony that plaintiff left the Company for four months in order to start a food business with his family some time in 1972 or 1973. Plaintiffs father testified this food business began in March, 1973.

Other than the testimony of the plaintiff that the three casual employees ahead of him on the seniority list were hired after him, there is no evidence of their seniority, or lack of it, in relation to the plaintiff. The lack of records or other evidence makes it impossible for the Court to ascertain whether plaintiff was in fact senior to those three ahead of him on the seniority list. The interruption of plaintiff’s tenure with the Company further clouds the issue of seniority.

The lack of pertinent information relative to the seven employees hired as regulars during 1968 — 69, and relative to the three employees placed above plaintiff on the casual seniority list, together with the procedures authorized by the 1973 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which were followed by defendant, convince this Court that there was no discriminatory action in plaintiff’s being placed fourth on the casual seniority list.

The Court now turns to plaintiff’s second ground for discrimination; that of his discharge. It is plaintiff’s charge that he was terminated because of his race. Defendant claims that plaintiff was fired because of his poor attendance record and his unavailability for work.

The Court finds that plaintiff has made a prima facie case as to a discriminatory discharge by showing that he was within the class of persons protected by Title VII; that he was fired without just cause, and that the defendant hired regular employees after his discharge. McDonnell Douglas Company v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973); Potter v. Goodwill Industries of Cleveland, 518 F.2d 864 (6th Cir. 1975).

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Bluebook (online)
451 F. Supp. 513, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1356, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18638, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-general-grocer-co-moed-1978.