Kent v. Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corp.

72 F. Supp. 506, 20 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2273, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2546
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedJune 4, 1947
DocketNo. 2364
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 72 F. Supp. 506 (Kent v. Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kent v. Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corp., 72 F. Supp. 506, 20 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2273, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2546 (S.D. Tex. 1947).

Opinion

KENNERLY, District Judge.

Plaintiff, an electrician, was, before he entered the Army, employed by defendant, a builder of ships. Plaintiffs position was “Foreman of the Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7.” Soon after his discharge from the Army, he was on June 20, 1945, restored by Defendant to the same position. After about six months, because of the end of hostilities, Defendant on December 8, 1945, ceased building ships, and plaintiff was discharged. This is a suit by plaintiff against defendant under the provisions of the Selective Training & Service Act of 1940 and Amendments, and particularly the provisions thereof respecting the restoration of servicemen to their jobs or positions after their discharge from the service. Title 50, U.S.C.A. Appendix, § 308. He does not seek to require defendant to restore him to his former position, but only sues for wages which he says he would have earned had he been so restored. In his pleadings, he alleges that had he been so restored, he would have earned wages from December 8, 1945, the time of his discharge, to June 1, 1946, at the same rate of pay which he was receiving prior to entering the Army. In his brief, however, he says that he is seeking to recover only such wages from December 8, 1945, to February 16, 1946.

The facts are these:—

(a) They have in part been stipulated as follows:—

“I. Plaintiff is a resident of Houston, Harris County, Texas.

“II. Defendant was and is a private corporation duly incorporated and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, and was and is operating and doing business in the State of Texas under a duly authorized permit issued by the Secretary of the State of Texas, and, was carrying on its business in Harris County, Texas, at all times material to the facts at issue in this cause.

“III. Defendant employed plaintiff as a leaderman at a shipyard on or about August 25, 1941, and plaintiff held that position until on or about March 1, 1942, on which date defendant promoted plaintiff to position of Foreman, Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7.

“IV. Plaintiff remained in defendants employment and services in the position of Foreman, Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7, from on or about March 1, 1942, until on or about March 9, 1943.

“V. Plaintiff, on or about March 4, 1943, was ordered to report for induction into the Armed Services of the United States by Local Draft Board No. 12, Houston, Harris County, Texas, and, on said date reported for induction, and was accepted for service in the Army of the United States of America.

“VI. Plaintiff reported for duty at the Army Induction Station, Houston, Texas, on March 11, 1943, and on said date entered into active service with the Army of the United States of America, and, remained on active duty until on or about June 5, 1945, on which date he received an Honorable Discharge from the Army of the United States of America.

“VII. Plaintiff, on or about June 20, 1945, after applying for reemployment with defendant, in due course, was re-employed as Foreman of the Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7, and continued to be so employed until on or about December 8, 1945.

[508]*508“VIII. Plaintiff was discharged by defendant on or about December 8, 1945, and was re-employed by defendant on or about February 13, 1946.

“IX. Plaintiff left defendants employment on or about March 31, 1946.

“X. On or about February 11, 1946, the United States Maritime Commission ordered defendant to abolish the position of Foreman, Electrical Maintenance Department, a position to which plaintiff sought to be reinstated, and such position was abolished with the pay period ending February 15, 1946; thereafter, on and after February 16, 1946, defendant had no such position as Foreman, Electrical Maintenance Department, nor a position of like seniority, status and pay.

“XI. On and after September 28, 1945, defendant and the United States Maritime Commission were operating under a written agreement, attached to defendant’s answer on file herein and marked for identification, Exhibit ‘A’.”

(b) Defendant was organized in 1941 as a war emergency project, solely for the purpose of constructing ships for the United States Maritime Commission at the shipyard and with the equipment wholly owned by such Commission near Houston, Texas, and that was defendant’s sole and only activity. A copy of defendant’s contract with such commission is in evidence.

(c) The construction of ships continued until VJ-Day (August 14, 1945). After that day, defendant’s sole and only activity was finishing the work on hand. All such work was finished by December 8, 1945. Thereafter the defendant’s sole and only work was as custodian of the shipyard and equipment, etc. and preserving same for the Commission.

(d) On December 8, 1945, when the construction of ships came to ah end, plaintiff’s position of “Foreman of the Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7”, (such as is mentioned in Paragraph VII of the Stipulation) came to an end. After December 8, 1945, defendant did not have a position of like seniority, status and pay.

(e) As custodian of the shipyard and in preserving the properties of the Commission, defendant did have after December 8, 1945, a position known as “Foreman of the Electrical Maintenance Department,” and it is to this last named position that plaintiff says he should have been restored or been reemployed. The two positions, however, were quite different. The first named position was merely the electrical work in the construction of ships, and the last named position was one of much wider range and more complicated and difficult than the first named position. The last named position required knowledge and training which plaintiff did not have, and plaintiff was not competent to do and perform the work of such position during the period of time from December 8, 1945, to February 16, 1946, and could not have been trained to do such work within such time. Such last named position was abolished by the Maritime Commission as stated in the above quoted Paragraph X of the Stipulation.

(f) When plaintiff was reemployed by defendant on February 13, 1946 (Paragraph VIII of the Stipulation), same was as leaderman, which was not a position of like seniority, status and pay to that of “Foreman, Ship Electrical Department, Department No. 7,” nor to that of “Foreman of the Electrical Maintenance Department.”

1 : — Little light is thrown on the matter either by the cases which plaintiff cites 1 or by the cases which defendant cites.2

Defendant questions the jurisdiction of the Court. It insists that in order to recover for the loss of wages and benefits suffered by an employee, such employee must sue to require the employer to [509]*509restore him to his former position. He says that since plaintiff here sues only for loss of wages and benefits, and not to be so restored, that this Court is without jurisdiction.

I think that this contention is without merit. I think that an employee can either sue his employer to be restored to his former position, or for loss of wages and benefits, or for both. Hall v. Union Light & Power Co., D.C., 53 F.Supp. 817, 818.

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Bluebook (online)
72 F. Supp. 506, 20 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2273, 1947 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kent-v-todd-houston-shipbuilding-corp-txsd-1947.