Rodriguez v. Iberia Lineas Aereas De Espana

923 F. Supp. 304, 3 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 1133, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5979, 1996 WL 220744
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedApril 22, 1996
DocketCivil 94-2181
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 923 F. Supp. 304 (Rodriguez v. Iberia Lineas Aereas De Espana) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rodriguez v. Iberia Lineas Aereas De Espana, 923 F. Supp. 304, 3 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 1133, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5979, 1996 WL 220744 (prd 1996).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

LAFFITTE, District Judge.

Plaintiff brought an overtime 1 claim seeking compensation for work performed during overtime, mealtime, and the weekly day of rest under Puerto Rico’s (1) Act No. 379 of May 15, 1948, as amended, P.R.Laws Ann. tit. 29, §§ 273-274, 282-283 (1985 & 1991 Supp.) (hereinafter “Working and Hours Days Act” or “the Acts”) and (2) Act No. 289 of April 9,1946, as amended, P.R.Laws Ann. tit. 29, §§ 295, 298 (1985) (hereinafter “Seventh Day Act” or “the Acts”).

On November 8, 1995, the Court began a three day bench trial to determine whether Plaintiff qualified as an “administrator” and/or an “executive” and, therefore, was exempt from the protective provisions of the Acts. After listening carefully to the evidence and analyzing the parties’ respective memorandums of law, the Court finds that Plaintiff meets the requirements of the short-tests for both an “administrator” and an “executive” of Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espa-ña at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport between January 1, 1984 and June 24, 1991. (Dkt. Nos. 23, 24, 25, 27). Consequently, Plaintiff can not seek compensation for work performed during overtime, meals, and the weekly day of rest, and his complaint is hereby dismissed.

FINDINGS OF FACT

From January 1, 1984 until June 24, 1991, Plaintiff, Jesus Rafael Rodriguez Rodriguez (“Rodriguez”), worked for Defendant, Iberia Lineas Aereas de España (“Iberia”), at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During this seven year period, Plaintiff labored under two distinct titles. The overwhelming majority of the time Plaintiff worked as the “Traffic Manager” (“Jefe de Servicio de Tráfico”), also known as the “Head of the Shift for Traffic Services” (“Jefe Tumo Servicio Tráfi-co”). Frequently, however, when the Station Manager, otherwise known as the Airport Manager, was absent from the airport, Plaintiff would perform many of the Station Manager’s duties as the Acting Station Manager. Iberia compensated Plaintiff with a monthly salary that began at $3,601 per month in January 1984 ($831.00 per week) and ended with a salary of $4,738 per month in June 1991 ($1,093.38 per week). 2

There were at least six individuals working for Iberia in Puerto Rico that held powerful positions above Plaintiff. The General Manager held the highest position in Puerto Rico and oversaw the work of five executives who ran their respective departments: the sales manager, the administrator, the maintenance manager, the operations manager, and the station manager. These five individuals and the General Manager were known as the “Mandos” or the Commanders. 3 In the hierarchy of Iberia, Plaintiff stood directly below the station manager who oversaw the eater- *307 ing department and the passengers department. During most of Plaintiff’s seven year tour of duty as the Traffic Manager, he shared the position with a second individual. While this individual worked the night shift, Plaintiff worked most often during the day.

Five witnesses at the hearing testified about Plaintiffs functions at the airport. Three individuals who worked for Iberia while Plaintiff was Traffic Manager testified on behalf of Iberia: (1) Francisco Duarte Gomez (“Duarte”) who was Iberia’s Station Manager and Plaintiffs supervisor from July 1986 until December 1989; 4 (2) Vicente Alos Cerra (“Alos”) who was a passenger supervisor for Iberia in 1985 and thereafter an employee of the handling companies working under Plaintiffs supervision; 5 and (3) Sandra Rosa Medina (“Medina”) who was an administration agent in charge of Iberia’s accounting in Puerto Rico from 1984 to 1991. 6 Two witnesses, Plaintiff himself and a former Executive Secretary to the Station Manager, Maria de Los Angeles Pagues Cahue (“Pa-gues”), testified for Plaintiff.

Although all five did not agree on every aspect of Plaintiffs position, from the evidence presented it is evident that Plaintiff performed several essential functions for Iberia. Perhaps Plaintiffs most important function was his supervision of Iberia’s airport employees from 1984 until 1985. After 1985, when Iberia hired independent contractors to perform a variety of functions at the airport, Plaintiff oversaw the operations of these handling companies and their employees.

As supervisor, Plaintiff was responsible for three noteworthy tasks. First, Plaintiff had input into the hourly schedule of the employees at the airport. For example, when airplanes arrived late, Plaintiff would extend their work shifts to accommodate the passengers. 7 Second, Plaintiff directed the work of the employees and independent contractors working for Iberia at the airport. When employees made mistakes, Plaintiff would correct them and report their errors to his superiors. 8 When Plaintiff worked side by side with employees at the Iberia counters, he would remind them of their duties and direct their efforts to accommodate the passengers. 9

Third, and most importantly, Plaintiff had influence over the hiring and firing of employees. Although Plaintiff did not have the power to hire or to fire an employee at his discretion, the evidence indicates that Plaintiff did have the power to make an influential recommendation about the status of an employee’s position with the company. 10 In fact, Duarte testified that as Station Manager he followed Plaintiffs advice regarding the number of new employees needed and the work status of an employee ninety percent (90%) of the time. Given the Station Manager’s frequent absence from the airport and the fact that Plaintiff had daily contact with Iberia’s employees and independent contractors, Duarte’s choice to follow Plaintiff’s advice makes perfect sense.

For example, during Plaintiff’s tenure as Traffic Manager, an employee of a handling company working for Iberia allegedly misbehaved. Although Plaintiff was not present, the handling company’s supervisors reported the incident to Plaintiff. In turn, Plaintiff apparently reported the incident to his superiors with a recommendation that the company reprimand the employee. Although Plaintiff denies any involvement in the firing of this employee, his comments indicate that he had the responsibility of preventing the *308 employee from creating a future disruption at the airport. 11 Plaintiff states: “the situation was so serious that regarding whether I could or couldn’t [reprimand her] ... I would have borne the responsibility anyway of ... forbidding her to enter [Iberia’s offices].” 12 Undoubtedly, Plaintiff’s responsibilities included making reports of any similar incidents and making a recommendation as to the penalty for an employee’s wrongful behavior.

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Related

Rodriguez-Rodriguez v. Iberia Lineas Aereas
104 F.3d 348 (First Circuit, 1996)

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923 F. Supp. 304, 3 Wage & Hour Cas.2d (BNA) 1133, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5979, 1996 WL 220744, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rodriguez-v-iberia-lineas-aereas-de-espana-prd-1996.