Southern Packaging and Storage Co. v. United States

458 F. Supp. 726, 25 Cont. Cas. Fed. 82,844, 23 Wage & Hour Cas. (BNA) 1085, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15053
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedOctober 10, 1978
DocketCiv. A. 78-1424
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 458 F. Supp. 726 (Southern Packaging and Storage Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Southern Packaging and Storage Co. v. United States, 458 F. Supp. 726, 25 Cont. Cas. Fed. 82,844, 23 Wage & Hour Cas. (BNA) 1085, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15053 (D.S.C. 1978).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER

CHAPMAN, District Judge.

The plaintiff in this action, Southern Packaging and Storage Company, Incorporated, first came before this Court on August 24, 1978 seeking a preliminary injunction pursuant to Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. On August 28, 1978 this Court granted plaintiff’s request and enjoined the United States of America and its agents, the Defense Personnel Support Center (hereinafter D.P.S.C.), the Defense Logistics Agency (hereinafter D.L.A.) and Department of Labor (hereinafter D.O.L.) from awarding any contract in response to Solicitation No. DLA13H-78-R-8947, dated August 1, 1978.

In granting injunctive relief this Court was convicted that Southern Packaging and Storage had met the three pronged test established in Blackwelder Furniture Co. v. Seilig Mfg. Co., Inc., 550 F.2d 189 (4th Cir. 1977). Specifically this Court found that in light of recent Congressional action, grave questions were raised as to the appropriate limits of coverage under the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, 41 U.S.C. § 35 et seq. It was also determined that denial of the requested relief would result in irreparable harm, in that that plaintiff would be put to a Hobson’s choice between paying, inflated wage rates and thus losing its natural competitive advantage or withdrawing entirely from bidding process for ration assembly contracts. Finally, it was decided that the public interest would be furthered by restraining the bid solicitation due to its inflationary potential. This potential was a direct result of the D.O.L. decision to treat the bid solicitation as one arising under the Service Contract Act, 41 U.S.C. § 351 etseq. The public interest was also threatened by the possibility that the petitioner would withdraw from all D.P.S.C. solicitations. Since the bulk of the petitioner’s business is performed pursuant to government contract, withdrawal from the bid process would result in closing the assembly plant or “laying-off” a significant number of employees.

Having granted the temporary restraining order, this Court held a trial on the merits to determine whether this solicitation was subject to the Service Contract Act and whether the D.O.L. determination of “locality” was appropriate. These issues were tried without a jury on September 27, 1978 in Columbia, South Carolina. After hearing the testimony, reviewing the exhibits and briefs, and studying the applicable law, this Court pursuant to Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, makes the following:

*729 FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The plaintiff, Southern Packaging and Storage Company, Incorporated, has its principal place of business in Mullins, South Carolina and is incorporated under the laws of South Carolina. Southern Packaging has for the past 34 years been engaged primarily in the business of assembling the component parts of the “Meal Combat Individual” (M.C.I.) field rations (formerly C rations) under contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (D.L.A.), and/or the U. S. Army.

During all these years plaintiff has operated under Walsh-Healey and paid the wages required with no complaints from its employees or any agency of the Government. D.L.A. thought the present bids should be under Walsh-Healey until D.O.L. ruled otherwise.

2. Pursuant to its contracts with D.L.A., Southern Packaging has in the past performed the following functions: (a) inspect component parts while they are on railroad cars, (b) unload conforming goods, (c) mark goods and store them in warehouses, (d) inspect accessory pack components, (e) assemble and seal accessory packs, (f) prepare B-unit cans, (g) seal B-unit cans, (h) place dividers in menu carton, (i) place the additional units into meal cartons, (j) place twelve meal cartons into master shipping container, (k) seal master shipping containers, (1) place sleeve over shipping container, (m) cover container with non-metallic strap, (n) pack 48 cases onto wooden pallets, (o) strap down and cap these cases securely to the pallets. When the plaintiff performed the above list of assembly steps, its obligations under the “Meal Combat Individual” contract were discharged. The food used in M.C.I. is not furnished by plaintiff but shipped to its plant from suppliers under other government contracts.

3. The performance required of a successful bidder under the solicitation in question (No. DLA13H-78-R-8947) would be identical to that described in the preceding statement.

4. In order to meet its previous M.C.I. contracts, Southern Packaging employed the following mechanized devices: (a) de-palletizer, (b) numerous conveyor belts, (c) seaming head, (d) case sealer and (e) case tying machine. Each of these devices is suitable for alternative operations which are unrelated to M.C.I. assembly.

5. Southern Packaging employs 551 workers, 84% of whom live in Marion County, South Carolina. Ninety percent of these employees are black and 87% are female. Many of these employees are illiterate and the vast majority are unskilled. Costs attributable to labor account for 55% of the cost of production. Under previous M.C.I. contract solicited under the Walsh-Healey Act, Southern Packaging produced at a per carton cost of $1.45. The plaintiffs per carton cost under the proposed minimum wage rate, as determined pursuant to the Service Contract Act, would be $3.00. The total contract cost would increase from approximately 3 million dollars to 8 million dollars, if the M.C.I. solicitation is governed by the Service Contract Act and the proposed nationwide minimum wage rate. The proposed minimum wage would increase one-half plaintiffs employees wage by 75% — 100% and the remainder by 50%— 75%.

6. The plaintiff has supplied the following raw materials while performing under prior M.C.I. contracts; (a) adhesive for master shipping containers, (b) non-metallic strap for master shipping container, (c) covering for 48 case pallet, (d) paper bags used to cover one-half of a railroad car load of M.C.I., (e) wooden pallets, (f) ink to cover erroneous container markings. Each of the integral parts of the individual M.C.I. menus, including all food and accessory components, is provided by the Defense Logistics Agency.

7. In calculating the prevailing wage rates as required by the Service Contract Act, representatives of the Department of Labor have used a mean average of wages paid for work comparable to that which is required under the proposed solicitation. As to the geographic “locality” used in arriving at the mean wage rate, the D.O.L. Division of Service Wage Determination has used the “standard metropolitan statis *730

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458 F. Supp. 726, 25 Cont. Cas. Fed. 82,844, 23 Wage & Hour Cas. (BNA) 1085, 1978 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-packaging-and-storage-co-v-united-states-scd-1978.