Tate v. Spirit Airlines, Inc.

957 F. Supp. 2d 1359, 2013 WL 3711246, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97818
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 12, 2013
DocketCase No. 13-60094-CIV
StatusPublished

This text of 957 F. Supp. 2d 1359 (Tate v. Spirit Airlines, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tate v. Spirit Airlines, Inc., 957 F. Supp. 2d 1359, 2013 WL 3711246, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97818 (S.D. Fla. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

ROBIN S. ROSENBAUM, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on Defendant Spirit Airlines, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment [D.E. 17]. Petitioner William Tate, an airliner captain, filed this [1361]*1361action seeking review of a determination by the Spirit Airlines Pilots’ System Board of Adjustment (“Board”) affirming Respondent Spirit Airlines, Inc.’s decision to terminate Tate’s employment with Spirit. See D.E. 1. The Board concluded that Spirit had “just cause to effect the termination of Captain William Tate” because of Tate’s lengthy and repeated record of anger-management and judgment problems and the “serious concern” that they represented “to an employer charged with safely operating aircraft.” See D.E. 18-2 at 81-82.1 Tate appeals the Board’s ruling, asserting that it must be vacated because the Board allegedly acted in excess of its jurisdiction and denied Tate due process. See D.E. 1 at 10-12.

Spirit has moved for summary judgment. Because the Court concludes that no material facts are in controversy and the Board neither acted in excess of its jurisdiction nor denied Tate due process, the Court now grants Spirit’s Motion for Summary Judgment [D.E. 17].

I. Material Facts

A. Background

1. Petitioner William Tate is a beneficiary of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“Agreement”) entered into between Spirit and the Air Line Pilots Association (“ALPA”). See D.E. 1-1; D.E. 30 at ¶ 19.

2. Among others, the Agreement includes the following provisions:

19.A.1. A pilot will not be disciplined without just cause. In those instances where the Company contemplates discipline of á pilot — amount to discharge .. .■ — such disciplinary action will not be imposed until the Company first conducts an impartial, reasonable, and expeditious investigation of the alleged cause.
19.A.2. No discipline will be imposed until a fact-finding meeting is held with the chief pilot, the pilot, and his [ALPA] representative(s) (if desired). Such meeting will be held within 10 working days of the date of the Company’s issuance of a written Notice of Investigation advising the pilot of the investigation and reasons for it....
19.A.3. A Notice of Investigation must be issued within 15 working days of the date upon which an individual with managerial authority in the Flight Operations Department has, or would reasonably be expected to have, knowledge of the circumstances giving rise to such investigation.
# ‡ ^ ‡
19.D.2. Ml time limits within this Section 19 shall be complied with by the Company and the pilot. If the Company does not comply with the time limits, the grievance shall be considered denied and appealable. In the event the pilot fails to comply with the time limits, the Company’s action shall be sustained.
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21.A. In compliance with Section 204, Title II of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, a System Board of Adjustment is established for the purpose of adjusting and deciding disputes that may arise under the terms of this agreement, any amendments or additions thereto, and that are properly submitted to it....
‡ ‡ ‡ ‡
[1362]*136221.C. The Board shall have jurisdiction over disputes between any pilot covered by this Agreement and the Company submitted to it by [ALPA] arising out of grievances concerning the interpretation or application of any of the terms or provisions in the Agreement and disciplinary grievances submitted by nonprobationary pilots....

D.E. 1-1.

B. The Events that Predated the Issuance of the Notice of Investigation

3. In 2004, Spirit issued the following letter to Tate:
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In May, 2003, following a Notice of Investigation that was issued as a result of engaging in unprofessional and disruptive conduct that undermined customer confidence in Spirit Airlines, you were suspended without pay for a period of fourteen (14) days. At that time, you were warned that any additional occurrences of this type of conduct may lead to termination ....
Thereafter, on August 4, 2003, you were counseled regarding your continued unprofessional and unacceptable conduct relating to your inability to control your temper towards a co-worker. Since this coworker was a Flight Attendant, and a subordinate of yours, it had the potential to create a hostile work environment for that individual. As previously advised, that was the second occurrence for which your anger adversely affected your relationship with your co-workers. At that time, it was strongly recommended that you seek professional guidance to assist in controlling your behavior. Moreover, you were provided an additional warning that should you continue to conduct yourself in this same manner without any evidence of participation in an anger management program, you would be disciplined accordingly. ... You failed to seek assistance to address your conduct.
Finally, in January 2004, you were counseled for your failure to respond to a directive by the Chief Pilot’s office. As a result, you were given a disciplinary letter that would remain in your file for twelve (12) months. Again, you were warned that any acts of insubordination, refusal to follow instructions, and/or violations of Spirit company policies and procedures during this period may result in further discipline up to any [sic] including termination....
Accordingly, based upon your continuous course of unacceptable conduct in violation of Company policy, and the previous warnings and discipline relating to that conduct, in conjunction with your failure to seek appropriate professional guidance in controlling that conduct, your employment with Spirit Airlines has been terminated effective February 18, 2004....

D.E. 18-2 at 66-67 & 67 n. 8.

4. Despite this letter terminating Tate’s employment with Spirit, Tate was not terminated. Instead, following a grievance to the Board, Tate was reinstated with a 21-day suspension because the Board concluded that Spirit had failed to establish any cursing, abusive, or disruptive conduct by Tate as described in the hearsay report, but it noted that Tate had previously received a 14-day suspension that he had accepted without protest for using loud, abusive, and vulgar language while on a cell phone and seated in the cabin. Id. at 66-67. In further justifying the 21-day suspension, the Board pointed to a report that a flight attendant had to ask Tate more than once to turn off his cell phone and that Tate continued to text, despite federal regulations. Id. at 67.

5. In 2009, Tate was the subject of an investigation for abusing Aetna, one of [1363]*1363Spirit’s vendors. See id. at 68. More specifically, Tate sent a profane and abusive message to Aetna while attempting to resolve a benefits matter. Id.; see also D.E. 1-8 at 507:12-:4.

6.

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Bluebook (online)
957 F. Supp. 2d 1359, 2013 WL 3711246, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97818, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tate-v-spirit-airlines-inc-flsd-2013.