Heymann v. Tetra Plastics, Inc.

482 F. Supp. 510, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1829, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8052
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedDecember 11, 1979
DocketNo. 77-983C(C)
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 482 F. Supp. 510 (Heymann v. Tetra Plastics, Inc.) 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
Heymann v. Tetra Plastics, Inc., 482 F. Supp. 510, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1829, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8052 (E.D. Mo. 1979).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

MEREDITH, District Judge.

This matter was tried to the Court. The Court has been duly advised by testimony, exhibits, and briefs of the parties. The Court makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff is a white female who was first hired by defendant on April 4, 1971.

2. Defendant is an employer within the meaning of 42 U.S.C. § 2000e and is engaged in the business of manufacturing plastic extrusions.

3. Plaintiff complains and alleges that: (a) she was denied equal pay for equal work because she was a female, (b) she was not given an opportunity to learn various phases of the extrusion operation because she was a female and that males were given this opportunity, (c) she was denied promotion to assistant supervisor and that a male, Gary Larkins, was promoted to assistant supervisor in 1975 when she, in fact, was better qualified, (d) she was transferred from the third shift to the first shift as a reprisal because she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and as a result lost the added $0.15 per hour paid on the third shift over the first shift, and (e) she suffered layoffs because she was a female and lost pay while males were not laid off in 1972.

4. On July 1, 1975, plaintiff filed her initial charge with the EEOC, charging sex discrimination and failure to promote her to the position of assistant supervisor of the third shift. On August 4, 1976, plaintiff perfected her original charge. On March 7, 1977, plaintiff filed a new charge alleging retaliation by the company because she had filed the original charge. The EEOC issued a right-to-sue letter on June 17, 1977. This suit was filed on September 13, 1977.

5. Plaintiff was originally hired in the fabrication department at $2.09 per hour base pay. The most money she had earned prior to that time was $2.00 per hour. She had no supervisory experience or manufacturing experience prior to being hired by defendant. Since plaintiff went to the third shift, she actually made a 15$ per hour premium, making her salary $2.24 per hour. On April 14, 1972, plaintiff received a raise to $2.49 per hour because she had been with the company for one year. On August 5, 1972, plaintiff received a rate increase to $2.65 per hour. On March 24, 1973, plaintiff received a merit increase to $2.95 per hour. On May 12, 1973, plaintiff received a rate increase to $3.15 per hour. On July 1, 1973, she was promoted to an E-3 and on October 13,1973, she received a merit increase which brought her pay to $3.64 per hour. On May 4, 1974, plaintiff received a rate increase to $3.96 per hour. On September 4, 1974, she received a rate [512]*512increase and a merit increase to $4.25 per hour. On January 4, 1975, she received a rate increase to $4.31 per hour. On May 10, 1975, she received a rate increase and a merit increase to $4.91 per hour. On September 6, 1975, she received a rate increase to $5.01 per hour. On January 10, 1976, she received a rate increase to $5.11 per hour. On July 31, 1976, she was receiving $5.55 per hour. On February 5, 1977, she received a rate increase to $5.65 per hour. On February 19, 1977, she was transferred to the first shift, lost the 15$ per hour premium pay, and was reduced to $5.50 per hour. On April 9, 1977, she received a 1$ increase to $5.51 per hour. On July 9,1977, she was receiving $5.56 per hour. On August 27, 1977, she was transferred back to the third shift and received $5.71 per hour. On January 7, 1978, she received a rate increase to $6.11 per hour. On April 15, 1978, she received an increase to $6.12 per hour. On April 22,1978, she was given the job of lead person at $6.42 per hour. On May 20, 1978, she was demoted as a lead person and received $6.12 per hour. On June 17, 1978, she was reassigned the job of lead person at $6.42 per hour. On July 1, 1978, she was transferred to the second shift at $6.07 per hour. On July 22, 1978, she received a rate increase to $6.27 per hour. On January 6, 1979, she received $6.52 per hour. On April 14, 1979, she received $6.53 per hour. On May 19, 1979, she was transferred to the second shift at $6.48 per hour.

6. In 1970 the makeup of the company was approximately 80% male and 20% female. At the time of the trial the work force was approximately 50% male and 50% female and had grown from 50 employees in 1971 to over 100 employees in 1975.

7. In December of 1971, Hussmann Refrigerator cancelled its order with the defendant and a great number of persons were laid off during the year 1972. During 1972 the plaintiff lost 16 weeks of work. There is no showing that her layoff was in any way motivated or caused by the fact that she was a female. After the Hussmann Refrigerator work was lost by the defendant, it eventually received business making plastic skis and accessories, which increased its business and caused it to hire more employees.

8. Plaintiff Elsie Mae Heymann, in the years 1972 through sometime in 1974 began dating her supervisor, a Mr. Ralph Vandeven. Plaintiff was married and had three children. Vandeven was also married but separated from his wife. This romance continued until sometime in 1974. During the time that plaintiff was dating Vandeven her promotions were rapid, her efficiency reports were good, and all went well insofar as she was concerned on the third shift. After her break-up with her supervisor sometime in 1974, her efficiency reports were not as good and neither were her pay increases. The break-up of this romance also accounted for a strained relationship between her and her supervisor.

9. The Labor Department conducted an investigation of the plant and wrote a report which indicated that the defendant company was starting women at lower pay than men; that the company, which had no personnel department, did not have a definitive category for each one of its grades, and that it had no uniform policy about promotions or merit increases. This matter was disposed of in February of 1976 with no action being taken by the Labor Department. However, the company abolished all E-4 positions and made the highest position on the production line an E-3a. Plaintiff and two males were reduced from an E-4 rating to an E-3a early in 1977. Her pay was not reduced and the company, after the Labor Department investigation, which terminated in early 1976, hired a personnel expert who made an effort to define the categories of each position, and on his recommendation the company abolished the E-4’s, reduced them to E-3a’s, and also abolished merit increases.

10. A look at plaintiff’s rise in salary as she worked for the company shows that, regardless of starting pay between men and women, in her instance her rise was rapid and she lost no pay because she was a female. Her relationship with her supervisor would indicate that because she was a [513]*513female, as a matter of fact, she made more pay than she was entitled to make or qualified to earn.

11. Plaintiff was incensed when Ron Chitwood was made an assistant supervisor in July of 1975. Plaintiff Heymann filed her charge with the EEOC on July 1, 1975, because she had heard that Larkins was to be promoted to an assistant supervisor. This actually did not take place until July 25, 1975, at which time he was transferred from the third shift to the second shift.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
482 F. Supp. 510, 22 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1829, 1979 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8052, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heymann-v-tetra-plastics-inc-moed-1979.