Pennsylvania v. Local Union 542, International Union of Operating Engineers

469 F. Supp. 329, 26 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1174, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14106, 19 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9028, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1560
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 30, 1978
DocketCiv. A. No. 71-2698
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 469 F. Supp. 329 (Pennsylvania v. Local Union 542, International Union of Operating Engineers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pennsylvania v. Local Union 542, International Union of Operating Engineers, 469 F. Supp. 329, 26 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1174, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14106, 19 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9028, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1560 (E.D. Pa. 1978).

Opinion

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION 335

II. FINDINGS 339

A. The Hiring System 339

B. The Philadelphia Plan 342

C. The Benjamin Franklin Programs I and II 345

D. Procedural History 347

E. The Delays and Contempt Issues Involving Abraham Freedman, Esquire 348

F. The Named Plaintiffs as of Certification 350

G. Statistical Evidence 350

1. Membership Disparities 351
2. Discrimination in Entry 352
3. Disparities in Hours and Wages 353
4. Referrals 355

H. Other Proof 357

1. Entry Discrimination 358
2. Individual Testimony 360

(a) Samuel Long 360

(b) Willis Fox 360

(c) Robert Ahmad 361

(d) John Dent 362

(e) Elijah Dukes 363

[334]*334(f) Charles Iseley 363

(g) John Dodson 364

(h) Lloyd Hudson 364

(i) Duáne B. Johnson 365

(j) George Benjamin 366

(k) Timothy A. Roundtree 367

(l) Cleveland Allen 368

(m) Conclusion 369

I. Rebuttal 369
1. Experts’ Statistical Analysis 370

a. Labor Pool 370

b. Features of Entry 375

c. Hours and Wages 377

i. Dr. Wachter 377

ii. Dr. Perl 378

iii. Dr. Dempster ■ 379

d. Conclusion 380

2. Other Rebuttal of Defendants 380
J. The Case Against JATC 381
K. Glasgow, Inc. and the Associations 384
III. LEGAL CONCLUSIONS 386

A. Appropriateness of Plaintiffs’ Class: Considerations of Standing and the Requirements of Rule 23 386

1. Adequacy and Standing 387
2. Rule 23(b) 389
3. Subclassing 390
4. Motion for Amendment of Plaintiffs’ Class Definition 391
B. Substantive Claims 394
1. Claims Against the Union 394

a. Title VII 394

i. Title VII Jurisdictional Issues 394

(a) Conciliation 394

(b) Scope of Suit 395

ii. The Merits of the Title VII Claim 397

(a) Intentional Discrimination 398

(b) Disparate Impact Discrimination 399

b. Section 1981 Claims Against Union 399

c. Section 1985(3) 401

2. Claims Against Associations and Contractors 401

a. Section 1981 401

1. The NLRA Cases 402

2. Civil Rights Cases Rejecting Vicarious Employer Liability 403

[335]*3353. Cases In Which an Employer or Employer’s Association Was Held Liable for Discrimination Arising From Terms of Contract 407

4. Doctrine of Respondeat Superior 409

(a) Analogies to Civil Rights Suits Against Municipalities or Supervisory Personnel 409

(b) The Application of the Doctrine of Respondeat Superior 411

b. Employers and Associations Potential Liability Under § 1985(3) 413

C. Appropriateness of the Defendant Class as to Section 1981 Claims 414
1. Rule 23(a) 414
2. Rule 23(b) 415
3. Standing 417
4. Personal Jurisdiction Over the Defendant Class 419

OPINION

A. LEON HIGGINBOTHAM, Jr., Circuit Judge.
I. INTRODUCTION

This employment discrimination suit was instituted in 1971 by twelve black plaintiffs on behalf of a class of minority workers involved in or desiring admittance to the operating engineer trade in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. Also a named plaintiff is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, suing on behalf of its citizens and the above-described class. Defendants in this action are as follows: Local 542 of the International Union of Operating Engineers; a class assertedly represented by Glasgow, Inc., consisting potentially of more than 1400 construction contractors and employers receiving referrals through Local 542’s exclusive hiring hall; four construction trade associations which represent the employers in contract negotiations;1 and the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (“JATC”), an organization created by Local 542 and the trade associations for the induction of new operating engineers. This opinion constitutes the findings of fact and conclusions of law relevant to the liability stage of the trial of this massive and intricate case.

The active claims of plaintiffs’ class include a Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., employment discrimination claim against all defendants based upon alleged discrimination in the membership practices of 542, the operation of its referral system, and the hours and wages of minority operating engineers. The foundation of this claim also serves as the basis for a 42 U.S.C. § 1981 claim and a conspiracy claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) against all defendants, an unfair representation claim under 29 U.S.C. § 158 against Local 542, and a Title VI discrimination claim against all those of the defendants who have deprived minority in[336]*336dividuals of the benefits of federally funded construction projects. Local 542’s function as an exclusive hiring hall in its geographical jurisdiction is at the center of each of the above claims; however, plaintiff asserts that the contractors and associations, having agreed to such a system in 1961 or thereafter, are co-participants with the union and cannot be absolved from liability for discrimination in the operation of the hiring hall. Although plaintiffs have frequently characterized their action as being based on intentional discrimination they are not limited to this standard particularly in view of the broad allegations in the complaint. I must therefore consider plaintiffs’ factual claims in light of the full range of potential liability under the civil rights statutes involved.

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469 F. Supp. 329, 26 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 1174, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14106, 19 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) 9028, 18 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1560, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pennsylvania-v-local-union-542-international-union-of-operating-engineers-paed-1978.