Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.

153 F. Supp. 3d 1094, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172664, 2015 WL 9478241
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedDecember 29, 2015
DocketCase No. 15-cv-00131-WHO
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 153 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 153 F. Supp. 3d 1094, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172664, 2015 WL 9478241 (N.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

ORDER ON CROSS-MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

WILLIAM H. ORRICK, United States District Judge

On the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment, the core question is whether Delta’s Work Rules violate California’s minimum wage requirements. Given the complexities of scheduling and paying Flight Attendants, Delta has developed formulas for determining Flight Attendant pay. Thosé- formulas (“Work Rules”) are fully disclosed to Flight Attendants and form the basis for the minimum promised pay included in each Bid Packet for each Rotation that a Flight Attendant might want to work. Even where flights are delayed or rescheduled, a Flight Attendant will receive the 'minimum pay promised in the Bid Packet and the highest pay produced by applying each of the four Work Rules to the Rotation actually worked by the Flight Attendant. As explained in more depth below, I find that Delta’s Flight Attendants are compensated for all hours worked in California at an amount exceeding the minimum wage.

There is no dispute — even when considering all hours a Flight Attendant was on Duty within each Rotation — that the Flight Attendants always received at least the California minimum wage rate for each hour within that Duty period. That' Delta does not use a set hourly wage for each different type of task Flight Attendants perform (e.g., time in flight, time spent in crew meetings or other pre-boarding duties, time spent on the ground in-between flight Segments, and time away from base) does not violate California law because Delta’s formulas ensure that Flight Attendants are compensated for all time spent on Duty. Accordingly, I GRANT defendant’s motion for' partial summary judgment on plaintiffs’ First, Second, and Third claims for relief and DENY plaintiffs’ cross-motion. for . summary judgment.1

[1096]*1096BACKGROUND

I. DELTA’S FLIGHT ATTENDANT SCHEDULES AND PAY RULES

Delta provides air transportation for passengers and cargo throughout the United States and World through its network of hubs and international gateways. Declaration of Andrew P. Frederick (Dkt. No. 33), Ex. G at 2.2 As of August 2015, Delta employed approximately 80,000 employees worldwide and 21,689 Flight Attendants in the United States. Id. at 10; Declaration of Brian Moreau Dkt. No. The domestic flight attendants are primarily based at one of Delta’s eight domestic hubs, Harts-field-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (“ATL”), Los Angeles International Airport (“LAX”), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (“DTW”), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (“MSP”), New York — LaGuardia Airport (“LGA”), New York — John F. Kennedy International Airport (“JFK”), Salt Lake City International Airport (“SLC”) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (“SEA”). Moreau Decl. ¶ 2. From May 1, 2012 to the present, between 5.3% and 6.2% of Delta Flight Attendants were based out of LAX, and between 1.2% and 1.5% based out of SFO. Moreau Decl. ¶¶ 3-4. Most Flight Attendants were and are based out of Atlanta and New York. Id. ¶ 5.

Every month, Flight Attendants “bid” on Rotations that are scheduled to depart from the Flight Attendant’s base the following month. Frederick Decl., Exs. L-N.3 Flight Attendants’ schedules, therefore, fluctuate and depend upon the seniority-based bid process. Moreau Decl. ¶ 6.

A Rotation begins when a Flight Attendant reports to an airport at a designated Report Time for “Sign in,” to let the Delta know he or she is present and available to work the assigned Rotation. Moreau Dep. 51:5-19, 52:17-21, 53:8-54:4. Report Time is typically one hour before the departure time for domestic flights, one and a half hours for international flights, and is the start of the Flight Attendant’s Duty Period. Moreau Dep. 51:5-19. After reporting, the Flight Attendant is required to check his/her e-mail and/or mailbox and attend a pre-flight briefing with the other Flight Attendants working the flight (the “Crew”) in the Flight Attendant lounge, reporting location, or other designated area. Moreau Dep. 67:15-16, 70:8-71:25.

The Flight Attendant must then report to the departure gate prior to boarding. Moreau Dep. 77:2-4. At the gate, the Flight Attendant’s pre-flight responsibilities will vary depending upon whether [1097]*1097they are serving as the Purser or Flight Leader,4 regular crew member, or language destination Flight Attendant. Mor-eau Dep. 68:2-70:2. For example, the Purser/Flight Leader will typically obtain a copy of the flight’s manifest and “brief’ with the Captain while the rest of the Crew performs a number of duties to ensure the aircraft cabin is ready to receive passengers before assisting with the boarding process. Moreau Dep. 69:8-12.

Once the plane pushes back from the gate (referred to as “Block Out”), the Flight Attendant performs the necessary safety demonstrations and other in-flight duties. Moreau Dep. 41:24-42:3. At arrival, when the flight pulls into the gate (referred to as “Block In”), the Flight Attendant assists with the deplaning process after the boarding door has opened. Mor-eau Dep. 42:4-9.

For Duty Periods with multiple flight Segments, there is a period of time between the arrival on the first Segment and the departure of the next Segment referred to as Turn Time. Moreau Dep. 42:25-44:4-7. During the Turn Time, Flight Attendants do not have any responsibilities, but they are still on “duty.” Moreau Dep. 108:2-12, 139:18-140:3. Flight Attendants must remain at the airport for possible contact from Crew Tracking. Work Rules at 11 (“Flight Attendants must be contactable at all times in the event of changes in flight times or routing.”). Delta considers the Turn Time to be Duty Time for purposes of compensation. Moreau Dep. 108:11-12.

If the Flight Attendant’s Duty Period ends in a destination city other than the Flight Attendant’s base, he or she is released from work into Layover (usually overnight) until the next leg of the Rotation begins. Moreau Dep. 42:13-17. A Layover is a period of rest between Duty Periods of the Flight Attendant’s Rotation. Id.

Regardless of whether the Duty Period is the only, first, middle or last Duty Period within a Rotation, the Duty Period ends 15 minutes after the block in of the last flight Segment. Moreau Dep. 101:11-18. However, in the event that deplaning takes longer than 15 minutes, Flight Attendants can notify the Scheduling Department to extend the Duty Time. Deposition of Dev Anand Oman, Ex. A to Frederick Deck (Dkt. No. 34) 202:6-23; Deposition of Todd Eichmann, Ex. C to Frederick Deck (Dkt. No. 34-2) 135:4-24. The Duty -Period encompasses all time that the Flight Attendants are on Duty, including during the pre-flight meeting, preparation of the aircraft cabin, boarding, Flight Time, Turn Time, and deplaning of passengers, even when a Flight Attendant’s release is delayed due to extenuating circumstances. Moreau Dep. 44:25-45:2.

The Bid Packets provided to Flight Attendants include a listing of all available Rotations that are scheduled to depart from the Flight Attendant’s base the following month. Declaration of Michael Lehr, Ex. B. to Frederick Decl. (Dkt. No. 34-1) 187:17-188:4.

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Related

Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.
466 P.3d 325 (California Supreme Court, 2020)
Dev Oman v. Delta Air Lines, Inc.
889 F.3d 1075 (Ninth Circuit, 2018)
Bernstein v. Virgin America, Inc.
227 F. Supp. 3d 1049 (N.D. California, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
153 F. Supp. 3d 1094, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 172664, 2015 WL 9478241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oman-v-delta-air-lines-inc-cand-2015.