Savering v. United States

18 Cl. Ct. 704, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 237, 1989 WL 139549
CourtUnited States Court of Claims
DecidedNovember 20, 1989
DocketNo. 311-85C
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 18 Cl. Ct. 704 (Savering v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Savering v. United States, 18 Cl. Ct. 704, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 237, 1989 WL 139549 (cc 1989).

Opinion

OPINION

SMITH, Chief Judge.

This case concerns a claim brought by a civilian assistant professor at the United States Naval Academy (USNA) for overtime compensation pursuant to the overtime provisions of the Federal Employee’s Pay Act, 5 U.S.C. § 5542 (1988), for duty instructor watches on site at the USNA and while on stand-by duty. In light of the testimonial and documentary evidence presented, and for the reasons stated below, this court finds that the plaintiff is entitled to receive compensation for duty watch hours assigned and performed on site and for stand by hours actually worked from May 26, 1979 through October 17, 1987.

FACTS

William A. Savering has been a federal employee since he joined the United States Naval Academy as an Associate Professor of Physical Education in 1968. From his initial hiring through August 1982 Professor Savering also served as head gymnastics coach, for which he was partially compensated by the Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA), a private organization. In 1982, Professor Savering resigned from his formal coaching duties, but continued as a professor and assumed the additional duties of the Chairman of the USNA’s Gymnastics Committee. In 1986, Professor Savering ceased serving as committee chairman and became the Director of Intramural Activities, a position in which he continues today.

In addition to the duties outlined above, Professor Savering was required to serve as duty watch officer at assigned times from 1969 through 1985, at which time the USNA regulations no longer required him to serve watch duty.1 As duty watch officer, Professor Savering and his colleagues were required to perform specific tasks in the nature of security guard for the buildings comprising the physical activities complex. Over the years in question, the number of buildings and their hours of operation varied, but the essential requirements of the 24-hour duty assignments remained constant. Included in the work expected of a watch duty officer was ensuring the facilities for which he was responsible were secure, functioning properly, and being used by authorized personnel only; serving as the emergency contact after normal working hours; making periodic security inspections; and securing buildings after events. In addition, the duty watch officer was required to inform the USNA security personnel of his whereabouts after securing the premises and assuming phone watch, and to remain available to return to the USNA if his services were required.

It is for those hours spent on watch duty assignments, both on-site at the USNA and while on stand-by, that Professor Savering is claiming overtime compensation in this action.

DISCUSSION

The defendant’s position throughout this litigation may be summarized as follows: plaintiff is not entitled to overtime because he did not work in excess of 40 hours/week; if he did, he has not proven the number of hours worked; and, if he [706]*706did, he has improperly calculated the overtime rate.

I. Whether Plaintiff Worked in Excess of 40 Hours/Week

A. Whether Coaching was Federal Employment

The defendant has contended throughout the course of this litigation that because Professor Savering held a contract with the NAAA for his coaching duties that coaching was not federal employment and therefore his time spent engaged in coaching and related activities should not be included in determining whether Professor Saver-ing worked enough hours to entitle him to overtime.2 In support of its position, the defendant relies on the statutory definition of “federal employee” found at 5 U.S.C. § 2105 (1988), and cases construing it. Although the defendant concedes that Professor Savering was a government employee with respect to his teaching contract with the USNA, it argues that the statutory test must be meet with respect to the coaching for it to be included.

Section 2105 reads, in pertinent part:

(a) For the purpose of this title, “employee,” ... means an officer or individual who is—
(1) appointed to the civil service by ...
(2) engaged in the performance of a Federal function under the authority of law or an Executive act; and
(3) subject to the supervision of an individual named in paragraph (1)____

The cases cited by the defendant do stand for the proposition that the statutory requirements of § 2105 must be met to establish whether one is a federal employee. In particular, the cases all address the issue of whether the plaintiffs had been appointed to their respective positions in accordance with the mandate of § 2105(a)(1). Horner v. Acosta, 803 F.2d 687 (Fed.Cir.1986); Baker v. United States, 614 F.2d 263, 266, 222 Ct.Cl. 263 (1980); National Treasury Employees Union v. Reagan, 663 F.2d 239, 246 (D.C.Cir. 1981). The question in those cases was whether an individual was a federal employee; this is different and distinct from the question of whether particular tasks constitute federal employment. In the case at bar, the defendant concedes that Saver-ing is a federal employee. There is nothing in the case law cited by the defendant, nor any other authority of which this court is aware, to suggest that the employment must meet the requirements of § 2105, as well as the employee. There is nothing in the language of the cases or the statute to suggest this to be a valid construction.

The evidence establishes that Professor Savering’s work as professor and coach are not severable. Professors who were hired for the physical education department were expected to serve in some coaching capacity, the instructors were contractually involved with the NAAA, and the value of the contracts with the NAAA was far below what common sense would dictate for a separate, distinct coaching contract. This is borne out by the fact that Professor Savering’s annual compensation from NAAA was $750 in 1968 and remained the same through the time he resigned from his coaching duties in 1982. Moreover, the government does not dispute that the physical education professors’ USNA non-coaching duties, including the watch duty assignments, were adjusted according to their coaching activities, indicat[707]*707ing that the USNA itself considered the positions integrated.

The court cannot accept the defendant’s position that the form of the employment agreements among the USNA, NAAA, and Professor Savering should prevail over their substance. Accordingly, this court holds that Professor Savering’s employment as a coach was federal employment for purposes of determining the number of hours spent working on the government’s behalf.

B. Whether Responsibilities Exclusive of Watch Duty Resulted in at Least 40 Hours/Week

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Related

Brown v. United States
31 Fed. Cl. 585 (Federal Claims, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
18 Cl. Ct. 704, 1989 U.S. Claims LEXIS 237, 1989 WL 139549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/savering-v-united-states-cc-1989.