Ray v. Libbey Glass, Inc.

133 F. Supp. 2d 610, 85 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 844, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2588
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 2, 2001
Docket3:97CV7072
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 133 F. Supp. 2d 610 (Ray v. Libbey Glass, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ray v. Libbey Glass, Inc., 133 F. Supp. 2d 610, 85 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 844, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2588 (N.D. Ohio 2001).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KATZ, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendant Libbey Glass, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment (“Libbey,” Doc. No. 44). Plaintiff Edward Ray has filed a response (“Ray,” Doc. No. 67), to which Lib-bey has replied (Doc. No. 70). This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331.

Ray brings this action alleging that he was terminated based oh his disability, that his assignment to the position of carton sealer prior to his discharge was discriminatory based upon his race and his sex, and that Libbey’s treatment of him prior and subsequent to his injury constitutes intentional and/or negligent infliction of emotional distress. Libbey asserts that Ray’s termination was not based on his disability and that his assignment to the carton sealer position was not based on his race or his sex. Rather, Libbey claims Ray was terminated due to a violation of the company’s sick leave policy and that he was rescheduled for carton sealer training because he had not previously signed a waiver and because he may not have previously received the requisite amount of carton sealer training.

For the following reasons, Libbey’s motion for summary judgment is granted with respect to Ray’s state and federal claims based on race and sex discrimination and Ray’s claim for negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress. Libbey’s motion for summary judgment is denied with respect to Ray’s state and federal claims based on disability discrimination.

I. Introduction

Ray began working for Libbey, a worldwide manufacturer of glass tableware and ceramic dinnerware, on August 9, 1993. Libbey’s facility in Toledo, Ohio manufactures and packages glass tableware products only. The facts surrounding the case at bar are limited to the Select and Pack Department of the Toledo, Ohio facility.

Initially, Ray was hired as a selector in the Select and Pack Department. All hourly Select and Pack Department employees are initially hired as selectors. Selectors are responsible for separating defective glassware, grasping the non-defective glassware from a moving conveyor belt, and packaging the glassware into cardboard boxes. As with all individuals hired in on the call list as selectors, Ray was eventually given the opportunity to train as a carton sealer. It is undisputed that the position of carton sealer offers the following benefits: (1) the carton sealer position is the stepping stone to many positions that a selector would not be eligible to perform under the collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”); (2) an employee qualified as a carton sealer has more opportunities to work and could avoid periodic layoffs due to being able to perform both carton sealer and selector work; and (3) a carton sealer is paid more than a selector. The carton sealer position, however, is more physically demanding than the position of selector. 1

Due to the physical demands of the carton sealer position, Libbey takes its new employees to the carton sealer area where they are given the opportunity to pick up the boxes to determine if they are willing *613 and able to perform the carton sealer job. Those employees that are unwilling or unable to perform the work are given the opportunity to disqualify themselves from further training. The parties, however, dispute how an employee is disqualified.

Libbey states that those employees unwilling or unable to perform the carton sealer work are allowed to sign written waivers at the time they are given the opportunity to pick up the boxes in order to avoid being trained for the carton sealer position. Those employees who do not sign a waiver are scheduled for carton sealer training in addition to selector training. Libbey also states that employees may decide during carton sealer training that they are unable or unwilling to perform the job and sign the waiver at that time. Regardless of when an employee decides to become disqualified, Libbey maintains that a waiver must be signed.

Ray has a different understanding of the disqualification process. Ray claims that, as of October 1993, to be disqualified you would merely tell your foreman. He states that he never knew there was a waiver to sign. Ray did not attempt to disqualify himself until after he started training for the carton sealer position. Ray states he went to his foreman who took him to the office foreman, and they asked him to call Skip Whittington (“Whit-tington”), the Head Supervisor of the Select and Pack Department. Ray claims he received his disqualification from Whitting-ton.

All new employees were initially placed on a “call list” whereby, based upon the needs of the shift coordinator, they would be called individually for work. 2 During Ray’s tenure with Libbey, an employee could choose the particular shift and days he or she wanted to work by accepting or rejecting the Shift Coordinator’s calls. Employees could also accept or reject particular positions in the same manner so long as employees worked the requisite number of hours per week in some capacity.

Ray received carton sealer training in October of 1993. Ray claims he trained for less than a week before disqualifying himself. After this initial training, Ray worked as a selector until he was rescheduled for carton sealer training in August of 1994. Libbey asserts that Ray was retrained because he had not previously signed a waiver and because he may not have received the requisite amount of time for carton sealer training in October of 1993. 3 Ray states he complained to his foreman about being rescheduled for carton sealer training. In addition, he claims he went to the office Shift Coordinator after learning he was being rescheduled for carton sealer training. Ray’s complaints, however, were not reduced to writing until June 30,1995. 4

*614 Following the second period of training, Ray was qualified to work as both selector and carton sealer. Ray worked both positions without incident until February 9, 1995. On February 9, 1995, Ray was working the carton sealer position and had been having trouble with the shrink wrapper/carton sealing machine, which kept breaking down. Eventually Ray was shown how to repair the machine and was attempting to repair it when the machine came down on Ray’s hand. Ray could not remove his hand and sustained severe burns to it.

Following his injury, Ray was sent to Dr. Sippo, Libbey’s company doctor, who, in turn, referred him to Dr. Michael Yanik, a plastic surgeon. Ray, however, continued working as a selector/carton sealer until March 2, 1995, when he underwent surgery with Dr. Yanik who performed a skin graft on Ray’s wrist. 5 Following surgery, Ray was off work for over two weeks. Dr. Yanik released Ray to return to “light duty” on March 20, 1995 with regular duty commencing on March 27, 1995. During this time, Ray received workers’ compensation benefits.

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Bluebook (online)
133 F. Supp. 2d 610, 85 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 844, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2588, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ray-v-libbey-glass-inc-ohnd-2001.