Wirtz v. Ferris

258 F. Supp. 660
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedAugust 26, 1966
DocketCiv. A. No. 65-587
StatusPublished

This text of 258 F. Supp. 660 (Wirtz v. Ferris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wirtz v. Ferris, 258 F. Supp. 660 (W.D. Pa. 1966).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW, AND ORDER OF COURT

MARSH, District Judge.

Plaintiff brought this action pursuant to 29 U.S.C.A. § 217 to enjoin the defendant from violating the provisions of §§ 215(a) (2), 215(a) (5), 206, 207 and 211(c), 29 U.S.C.A., of the Fair Labor Standards Act, as amended.

It is alleged that the defendant employed two employees in the receipt, handling, unloading and stocking of goods which were received from out-of-state suppliers on a regular and recurring basis, and that said employees were engaged in activities which placed them in interstate commerce within the meaning of the Act; that the defendant from August 18, 1962 paid his employees wages at rates of pay less than the applicable minimum statutory rate; that he failed to compensate his employees for overtime at rates not less than one and one-half times the regular rate at which they were employed; that he failed to comply with the record-keeping provisions of the Act and the regulations of the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, United States Department of Labor.

In addition to denials of the alleged violations, the defendant affirmatively averred that his business is a retail establishment and that his employees are exempt from the provisions of the Act. 29 U.S.C.A. § 213(a) (2).1 In addition, he avers that the two employees involved, namely, Victor Sidola and Josephine Mc-Loota, were employed by defendant as managers, and as such would not be within the application of the Act. 29 U.S. C.A. § 213(a) (1). At pretrial the court ruled that this latter defense was not available to defendant in view of the salaries admittedly paid to his employees (Transcript of pretrial conference, pp. 3-4); this defense is not being pressed.

It was stipulated:

(1) That the statute of limitations contained in the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947, as noted in 29 U.S.C.A. § 217, would preclude recovery of all underpayments accruing more than two years prior to the filing of the complaint on June 2, 1965. (Pretrial Stipulation, § I.)

(2) That the aforesaid employees of the defendant, since August 18, 1962, have engaged in interstate commerce within the meaning of the Act, and are therefore entitled to the benefits of coverage under the Act if defendant is not exempt from its provisions under § 213 (a) (2). (T., p. 3.)

(3) That during the period in question, not more than 10% of the defendant’s annual dollar volume of sales were “sales for resale” within the meaning of § 213(a) (2). (T„ p. 4.)

(4) That over 50% of defendant’s annual dollar volume of sales were made in Pennsylvania. (Pretrial Stipulation, § HI.)

The remaining issue for decision is whether 75% of defendant’s annual dollar volume of sales are recognized as retail in the industry.

We think that the defendant failed to prove that 75% of the annual dollar volume of his sales are recognized as retail [663]*663in the industry; in addition, it is the opinion of the court that his establishment is not within the retail concept.

The court makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. The defendant is a resident of Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. He owned and has conducted a sole proprietorship business, known as Carnegie Equipment Company of Johnstown, in the city of Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, since 1938. His store was and is located at 605 Main Street.

2. The business operated out of an area on the first floor of a building which would be classed as a selling room or a display room; a stockroom was located in the basement. In the display room which is accessible from the street through three separate ways there is displayed on tables or display counters the items offered for sale. There are no partitions. It is one large room approximately 40 feet by 200 or 300 feet in length. Signs in the windows of the selling room stated: “We sell retail”. The defendant has a retail mercantile license issued by the City of Johnstown. The store was open six days a week from 9:00 a. m. to 5:00 p. m., Monday through Saturday, prior to January, 1965. The business serves Johnstown and the surrounding area within a distance of 18 or 20 miles.2 The gross income for the Johnstown business was over $36,000 in 1963 and 1964, and in 1965 was over $50,000. The defendant had competitors operating stores in the vicinity.

3. The defendant engaged in the sale of supplies and equipment to restaurants, hotels, taverns, soda fountains, bars, fraternal organizations, churches, social organizations, local governments and individuals. Defendant sold supplies at his store, such as flatware, dishes, glasses, pots and pans, mops and brooms, waxes, tables, chairs, paper cups, napkins, towels, etc.; and equipment customarily used by restaurants, hotels, bars and taverns, such as ranges, barbecue machines, milk-shake machines, dishwashers and dryers, exhaust fans, coolers, three-compartment sinks, large coffee urns and carriers, roasters, steam tables, floor machines, potato peelers, commercial refrigeration units, etc. (See Exhibit “B” contained in Answer to Interrogatories; plaintiff’s Ex. 10.)

4. Generally and primarily the defendant’s stock of goods were supplies and equipment intended to be sold to hotels, restaurants, taverns, etc., but some of the supplies were used by private individual consumers who came "in off the street and made small-quantity purchases at retail prices at the store.

Some of the defendant’s business customers made small-quantity purchases at retail prices at the store.

The small-quantity purchases made by individual private consumers and by defendant’s business customers at retail prices were not shown to be 75% of his annual dollar volume of sales.

“The majority of defendant’s sales were made to various restaurants, hotels, bars, taverns, fraternal organizations, social organizations, and customers of similar nature, and to Cambria County and Bethlehem Steel Company, rather than to individuals.” (Pretrial Stipulation, § III.)

Some sales were made to local governments pursuant to bids.

The majority of the annual dollar volume of sales made by defendant’s establishment during the period under consideration was wholesale or non-retail.

5. The defendant employed Josephine McLoota in interstate commerce from August 18, 1962 to January 1, 1965 at a salary of $30.00 per week. The defendant employed Victor Sidola in interstate commerce from August 18, 1962 to January 1, 1965, at a salary of $40.00 per week. These salaries were intended to compensate the two employees for all hours worked in a work week, whether [664]*664more or less than 40, and constituted the total weekly salary or remuneration for employment duties rendered to de« fendant by these employees in the opera tion of his establishment. (Pretrial Stipulation, § IIL)

6. Josephine McLoota was employed from June 7, 1963 to July 26, 1963 for workweeks of 35 hours; during the holiday week of July 5th, she worked 28 hours; from August 2, 1963 to January 1, 1965, she was employed for workweeks of 42 hours; for 11 holiday weeks in the period from September 6, 1963 to January 1, 1965, she worked 35 hours per week. The total back wages due Josephine McLoota amounts to $1,676.20.

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258 F. Supp. 660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wirtz-v-ferris-pawd-1966.