Jones v. Alabama Brief for Appellant
Public Court Documents
January 1, 1971

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Brief Collection, LDF Court Filings. Franks v. Bowman Transportation Company Brief for the Appellants, 1972. 37dc2e59-b29a-ee11-be36-6045bdeb8873. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/c97d3126-ab88-457e-a042-f69c23d2b0f5/franks-v-bowman-transportation-company-brief-for-the-appellants. Accessed August 19, 2025.
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IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT NO. 72-3239 HAROLD FRANKS, Plaintiff-Appellant, and JOHNNIE LEE, intervenor-Appellant, - vs - BOWMAN TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, et al., Defendants-Appellees. Appeal From the United States District Court For the Northern District of Georgia BRIEF FOR THE APPELLANTS HOWARD MOORE, JR. ELIZABETH R. RINDSKOPF75 Piedmont Avenue, N.E. Suite 1154Atlanta, Georgia 30303 JACK GREENBERG WILLIAM L. ROBINSON MORRIS J. BALLER BARRY L. GOLDSTEIN 10 Columbus Circle Suite 2030New York, New York 10019 Attorneys for Appellants IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 72-3239 HAROLD FRANKS, Plaintiff-Appellant, and JOHNNIE LEE, Intervenor-Appellant, - vs - BOWMAN TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, et al., Defendants-Appellees. CERTIFICATE REQUIRED BY LOCAL RULE 13(a) The undersigned counsel of record for Plaintiff-Appellant and Intervenor-Appellant certifies that the following listed parties have an interest in the outcome of this case. These representations are made in order that Judges of this Court may evaluate possible disqualification or recusal pursuant to Local Rule 13(a). 1. Harold Franks, Plaintiff. 1 2. Johnnie Lee, Intervenor. 3. The class consisting of Black employees of Bowman Transportation Company at its Atlanta Terminal, and rejected applicants for the road driver position with Bowman. 4. Bowman Transportation Company. 5. International Union of District 50, Allied and Technical Workers of the U.S. and Canada, and Local No. 13600 thereof. vJYV Vs \ a Attorney For Appellants t TABLE OF CONTENTSl ' P age Table of Authorities.......................... i Statement of Questions Presented .............. vi Statement of the Case.............................1 Statement of Facts ............................. 4 1. The Defendants1 Operations ........ 4 2. An Overview of Defendants' Dis criminatory Practices ............... 6 3. Exclusion of Blacks from Over-the- Road Driver Jobs...................... 8 4. Exclusion and Segregation of Black Employees in Atlanta Terminal . . . . 12 5. Plaintiff Franks' Individual Claims . 19 6 . Intervenor Lee's Discharge Claim . . 22 ARGUMENT I. THE INJUNCTIVE RELIEF GRANTED BY THE DISTRICT COURT WAS TOTALLY INADEQUATE TO TERMINATE THE WIDESPREAD PRESENT EFFECTS OF THE DEFENDANTS’ DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES.............................. 2 5 A. The Inadequate Seniority Relief Granted By The District Court Perpetuates The Adverse Effects On Black Workers of Defendants' Discrim inatory Practices.................... 26 (1) Terminal Employees . . . 26 (2) Road Drivers.............. 28 B. The District Court Erred In Afford- » ing Minimal Hiring Relief Despite The Long-Standing Racially Exclusionary Hiring Policies of Bowman .......... 29 P a g e (1) Over the Road Drivers.......... 2 9 (2) Office and Clerical Workers . . 32 C. The District Court Erred In Not Affording Any Relief Requiring Training Even Though Black Workers Were Consistently Denied Training Opportunities Solely On Account Of Their Race.................... 35 D. The District Court Erred In Failing To Retain Jurisdiction And To Require Compliance Reports ...................... 38 II. THE DISTRICT COURT MISCONSTRUED TITLE VII AND ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING BACK PAY TO THE CLASS, DESPITE UNCONTRADICTED PROOF OF ECONOMIC INJURY SUFFERED BY THE CLASS BECAUSE OF DEFENDANTS' DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES.................................. 40 A. The Evidence As To Vacancies, Qualifi cations, and Performance Is More Than Adequate To Support An Award of Back Pay . 42 B. An Award of Class Back Pay Is Fully Consistent With The Procedural Pro visions of Title V I I .................... 44 C. The District Court Abused Its Discre tion By Arbitrarily Denying Class Back Pay...................................... 47 III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT PLAINTIFF FRANKS' CLAIMS WERE BARRED FOR FAILURE TO TILE SUIT IN A TIMELY MANNER.................... 52 A. The Statute of Limitation Applicable to Plaintiff's Cause of Action Under 42 U.S.C. §1981 Had Not Run When This Action Was Filed.................................. 52 (1) Any Applicable Statute of Limi tation Was Tolled By the Plaintiff's Filing Charges With the EEOC........ 52 (2) The Action Was Timely Filed Within The Properly Applicable Four Year Statute of Limitation......... 54 B. Plaintiff Filed Timely Suit Under Title VII Within Thirty Days After Receipt of a Valid Suit Letter, The First He Had Received 56 (1) The 30-Day Limitations Period Runs From The Time The Complainant Receives Statutory Notice From The E E O C ........................ 56 (2) The Second Suit Letter Was Valid Basis For Plaintiff's Title VII Action.................... 57 C. There Was No Legitimate Equitable Reason To Bar Plaintiff's Claims and Equity Strongly Demands Their Allowance......... 58 IV. THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO CREDIT LEE'S ARBITRATION AWARD AND IN FINDING NO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN HIS DISCHARGE ........... 60 A. The Significance of Leo's Successful Arbitration............\ ................. 60 B. The Evidence Supports Lee's Claim of Discrimination.............................. 62 CONCLUSION.......................................... 66 Certificate of Service ............................. 68 Pa g e TABLE OF CASES Page Asbestos Workers Local 53 v. Vogler, 407 F.2d 1047 (5th Cir. 1969).............................. 26 Bailey v. American Tobacco Company, 462 F.2d 160(6th Cir. 1972).............................. 28 Beard v. Stephens, 372 F.2d 685 (5th Cir. 1967).......... 54 Beverly v. Lone Star Lead Constr. Corp., 437 F.2d 1136 (5th Cir. 1971)..........................56 Boudreaux v. Baton Rouge Marine Contracting Co., 437 F .2d 1011 (5th Cir. 1971).................... 34,53,55,58 Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., 416 F.2d 711 (7th Cir. 1969).............................. 45,48 Brazier v. Cherry, 293 F.2d 401 (5th Cir. 1961).......... 54 Brooks v. Beto, 366 F.2d 1 (5th Cir. 1966), cert. denied 386 U.S. 975 (1967)..................... 60 Brown v. City of Meridian, 356 F.2d 602 (5th Cir. 1966).................................... 54 Brown v. Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co., 457 F.2d 1377 (4th Cir. 1972), cert, denied 41 LW 3253.................................... 39,45,64 Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 339 F.Supp. 1108 (N.D. Ala. 1972) ........................ 31,36,37,53 Burnett v. New York Central R. Co., 380 U.S. 424 (1965)....................................... 53,58 Business Executives' Move for Vietnam Peace v. FCC, 450 F.2d 642 (D.C. Vir. 1971).............. 61 Caldwell v. National Brewing Co., 443 F.2d 1044 (5th Cir. 1971), cert, denied 404 U.S. 998 (1972) . . . 45,52 Carter v. Gallagher, 452 F.2d 315 (8th Cir. 1971) . . . 31 Clark v. American Marine, 304 F.Supp. 603 (E.D.La. 19G9)............................ 34 l P age i Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania v. Secretary of Labor, Shultz, et al., 442 F.2d 159 (3rd Cir. 1971), cert, denied 404 U.S. 854 (1971)...................... 32 Culpepper v. Reynolds Metals Co., 421 F.2d 888 (5th Cir. 1970) 49,53,57,60 Cunningham v. Litton Industries, 413 F.2d 887(9th Cir. 1970).......................... 56 Dent v. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co., 40t>F . 2d 399 (5th Cir. 1969)................ 56 Fluker v. Alabama State Board of Education, 441 F. 2d 201 (5th Cir. 1971)................ 64 Goodman v. City Products Corp., 425 F.2d 702 (6th Cir. 1970)........................ 56 Green v. McDonnell-Douglas Corp., 463 F.2d 337 (8th Cir. 1972)......................... 55,65 Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424 (1971). . . . 15,58,65 Guerra v. Manchester Terminal Corp., 4 EPD f7874(S.D. Tex. 1972)........................ 53 Hicks v. Crown-Zellerbach Corp., 321 F.Supp. 1241(E.D. La. 1971).......................... 27 Hutchings v. U.S. Industries, Inc., 428 F.2d 303 (5th Cir. 1970).......................... 53,60 Jenkins v. United Gas Corp., 400 F.2d 28 (5th Cir. 1968)........................ 30,44 Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, Inc., F.Supp. , 4 EPD H7753 (N.D. Ga. 1972). . . . 38 Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express Inc., 417 F. 2d 1122 (5th Cir. 1969).............. 44,48,49 Joyce v. McCrane, 320 F.Supp. 1284 (D.N.J. 1970) . . 32 Lazard v. Boeing Co., 322 F.Supp. 343 (E.D. La. 1971) 55 Lea v. Cone Mills Corp., 301 F.Supp. 97 (M.D. N.C. 1969) 34 Lefton v. City of Hattiesburg, 333 F.2d 280 (5th Cir. 1964)........................ 54 - li - P age Local 189 v. United States, 416 F.2d 980(5th Cir. 1969)............................ 28, 32,49 Long v. Georgia Kraft Co., 450 F.2d 557 (5th Cir. 1971). 28,29 Louisiana v. United States, 380 U.S. 145 (1965)........ 26 Love v. Pullman Co., 404 U.S. 522 (1972).............. 58 Maddock v. Sardis Luggage Co., 3 EPD *[18149 (N.D. Miss. 1971) ...................................... 31 Marquez v. Omaha District Sales Office, Ford Division, 440 F. 2d 1157 (8th Cir. 1971)............ 64 Miller v. International Paper Co., 408 F.2d 283 (5th Cir. 1969)......................... 45, 56 Mitchell v. Robert deMario Jewelry, Inc., 361 U.S. 288 (1960)........................ 50 NAACP v. Allen, 340 F.Supp. 703 (M.D. Ala. 1972). . . 31 Oatis v. Crown-Zellerbach Corp., 398 F.2d 496 (5th Cir. 1968)................... 45 Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ v. FCC, F.2d (D.C. Cir. 1972) ......................... 58 Parham v. Southwestern Bell Telephone & Telegraph j Co., 433 F.2d 421 (8th Cir. 1971) . . . . 34,39 ; . ^ l»v Quarles vf. Philip Morris, Inc., 279 F.Supp. 505 (E.D. Va. 1968)................... 28 Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC, 395 U.S. 367 (1969) 58 Reynolds v. Dailey Press, Inc., 5 FEP Cases 4 (E.D. Va. 1972).................... 53 ; Rios v. Reynolds Metals Co., F.2d ,5 EPDf7980 (5th Cir. No. 71-2681, September 20, 1972).......................... 60 Robinson v. Lorillard Corp., 444 F.2d 791 (4th Cir. 1971), cert, dismissed 404 U.S. 1006 28,45,48,49,50 Rowe v. General Motors Corp., 457 F.2d 348 (5th Cir. 1972) .............................. 26,30,34 - iii - P age Sanders v. Dobbs Houses, Inc., 431 F.2d 1097 (5th Cir. 1970), cert, deneid 401 U.S. 948 (1971).................................... 52 Southern Illinois Builders Assn. v. Ogilvie, 327 F. Supp. 1154 (S.D. 111. 1971).............. 32 Sprogis v. United Air Lines, Inc., 444 F.2d 1191 (7th Cir. 1971), cert, denied 30 L. Ed2d 543 (1971)........................ 48 State of Washington v. Baugh Construction Co., 313 F.Supp. 598 (W.D. Wash. 1969) ............ 32,46 Strain v. Philpott, 331 F.Supp. 836 (N.D. Ala. 1971) 32 Tipler v. E.I. duPont deNemours and Co., 443 F.2d 125 (6th Cir. 1971)...................... 60 United States v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 446 F.2d 652 (2nd Cir. 1971).................... 28 United States v. Carpenters, Local 169, 457 F. 2d 210 (7th Cir. 1972)................ 36 United States v. Central Motor Lines, Inc., 338 F.Supp. 532 (W.D.N.C. 1971) .............. 31,32,34,38 United States v. Frazer, 317 F.Supp. 1079 M. D. Ala. 1970)......................... 31 United States v. Georgia Power Co., F.Supp. (N.D. Ga. 1971)................................ 46 United States v. Hayes International Corp., 415 F.2d 1038 (5th Cir. 1969).................... 48 United States v. Hayes International Corp., 456 F. 2d 112 (5th Cir. 1972)................ 48 United States v. IBEW, Local 38,428 F.2d 144 (6th Cir. 1973) 34,39 United States v. Ironworkers Local 86, 315 F.Supp. 1202 (W.D. Wash. 1970), aff'd 443 F.2d 544 (9th Cir. 1971), cert, denied 404 U.S. 984 (1971).......................... 2b United States v. Ironworkers, Local 86, 5 EPD 17972, 1 7973 (W.D. Wash. 1972).................... 34,36,37,38,39 I V Pago United States v. Jacksonville Terminal Co., 451 F.2d 418 (5th Cir. 1971), cert, denied 4 EPD H 7774 (1972)...................... 28 United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education, 372 F .2d 826 (5th Cir. 1966), aff'd en banc 380 F.2d 385 (5th Cir. 1967), cert, denied sub. non. Caddo Parish School Board v. United States, 389 U.S. 840 (1967).............. 32 United States v. Libby-Owens-Ford Company, Inc., 3 EPD H8052 (N.D. Ohio 1971).............. 31 United States v. Local 3, Operating Engineers, 4 EPD U 7744 (N.D. Cal. 1972).................. 37 United States v. Local 189, 310 F.supp. 906 (E.D. La. 1969)........................ 27 United States v. Sheet Metal Workers, Local 36, 416 F. 2d 123 (8th Cir. 1969).............. 34 United States v. United Association of Journeymen, Plumbers, Local Union 73, 314 F.Supp. 160 (S.D. Ind. 1969)...................... 34 United States v. Wood, Wire and Metal Lathers Int. U. Local 46, 328 F.Supp. 429 (S.D.N.Y. 1971) 48 United Steelworkers of America v. American Mfrg. Co., 363 U.S. 564 (1960).................... 60 United Steelworkers of America v. Enterprise Wheel & Car Co., 363 U.S. 593 (1960)......... 60 United Steelworkers of America v. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co., 363 U.S. 574 (1960) . . 60 Vogler v. McCarty, Inc., 451 F.2d 1236 (5th Cir. 1971).............................. 26,29 v STATEMENT OF QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1. Whether the injunctive relief ordered by the district court was improper because it fails to remedy the effects of defendants' overt practices of racial discrimination in employment in that: A. The district court failed to provide full use of Company seniority to Black employees who had been denied assignment, transfer, or promotion into traditionally all- white jobs, and failed to allow retroactive seniority to Black applicants who had been discriminatorily denied employment; B. The district court refused to order any affirmative hiring measures to overcome past hiring policies which resulted in total exclusion of Black workers from two departments; C. The district court refused to order that Black employees receive job-training opportunities similar to those defendants have made available to white employees exclusively; and D. The district court refused to require defendants to submit compliance reports and declined to retain juris diction for the purpose of monitoring defendants' per formance under the decree? 2. Whether the district court's denial of back pay to members of the class, in the face of its finding that such class vi members had been deprived of income opportunities equal to white employees', was erroneous in that: A. The district court's conclusion that plaintiffs did not show evidence of job vacancies, class members' qualifications, or performance is contrary to the clear facts of this record; B. The district court's construction of Title VII's provision for administrative proceedings as a bar to back pay relief for non-plaintiff class members is con trary to the statutory scheme for effective relief to victims of racial discrimination; and C. The district court's exercise of discretion was capricious, unfounded on this record, and contrary to the purposes of Title VII? 3. Whether the .district court erred in ruling that re strictive federal and state statutes of limitations barred any relief to Plaintiff Franks, despite its findings that he had been discriminatorily discharged and denied promotion and that he had not received notice of his right to institute suit at the time when, in the district court's view, the statutes began to run? 4. Whether the district court erred in finding Intervenor Lee’s discharge not unlawful, despite the facts that a binding arbitration award found the discharge to have been without cause and that the discharge occurred in a context of racially discrimi natory treatment of Intervenor and other Black Road-Driver em ployees and applicants by defendant company and pursuant to a termination procedure which allowed full play to the possible prejudices of hostile white employees? v n IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 72-3239 HAROLD FRANKS, Pla intif f-Appellant, and JOHNNIE LEE, Intervenor-Appellant, - vs - BOWMAN TRANSPORTATION COMPANY, et al., Defendants-Appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia BRIEF FOR APPELLANTS Statement of the Case This case of racial discrimination in employment comes here on appeal from a final judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, entered 1/July 14, 1972 (28a). The appeal presents important issues 1/ This form of citation is to pages of the Appendix. arising from a trucking company's discriminatory hiring, transfer, and promotion practices, including the nature of appropriate relief from the effects of these practices. This Court has jurisdiction of the appeal under 28 U.S.C. §1291. On March 25, 1968, Plaintiff-Appellant Harold Franks, a Black man, first filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the Bowman Transportation Company (Bowman) alleging that he, and all other Blacks, had been denied promotion and kept in one segregated department by Bowman for racial reasons (911a). On May 13, 1968, Franks filed a second EEOC charge against Bowman alleging that his subsequent discharge was in retaliation for the filing of his first charge (912a). On March 2 and 5, 1971, Plaintiff filed amended charges of discrimination against Bowman and International Union of District 50, Allied and Technical Workers of the U.S. and Canada, Local 13600 (hereinafter "Local 13600"), repeating in substance his prior allegations (909a-910a). After lengthy investigation and unsuccessful attempts at conciliation, on April 14, 1971, the EEOC issued, and Franks received, a Notice of Right to Sue within 30 days on both charges (908a). Plaintiff filed this suit as a class action under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. §§2000e et seq., and 42 U.S.C. §1981, on May 5, 1971. The complaint alleges historic and continuing racial discrimination by defendants in hiring, seniority, transfer, and other terms and conditions of employment (31a-39a). The defendants answered this complaint 2 on May 20, 1971 and May 25, 1971, respectively, denying plaintiff's allegations generally (40a-43a, 44a-47a). Intervenor-Appellant Johnnie Lee, a Black man, filed his first EEOC charge (later amplified by Lee's affidavit, 906a- 907a) on February 26, 1970, alleging racial discrimination in Bowman's refusal to hire him as an Over-the-Road Driver because of a policy of not hiring blacks for that job (905a). On March 19, 1971, after being hired and subsequently discharged by Bowman, Lee filed a second EEOC charge, alleging a racially 2/discriminatory discharge (Pi. Ex. 5). The EEOC issued and Lee received Notices of Right to Sue on both charges on June 22 and July 12, 1971 (Pi. Ex. 5). Lee thereupon filed, on July 21, 1971, a Motion to Intervene and an Intervenor's complaint to join the class action lawsuit as a plaintiff (48a-53a). The court below granted the motion to intervene on the same day (54a). Defendants answered the Intervenor's complaint, denying the allegations generally, on August 10, 1971 and August 25, 1971, respectively (55a-57a, 58a-61a). After extensive discovery and a pre-trial conference, the action came on for a trial of three days held March 28-30, 1972 before the Honorable Sidney 0. Smith, Jr. (78a-861a). Following submission of post-trial pleadings, the District Court on June 28, 1972, handed down its Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, Order and Decree (la-27a). The Court 2/ This form of citation, and "Def. Ex. ____, " are to exhibits of the parties which were admitted into evidence at trial, but are not reproduced in the Appendix. 3 found long-standing, widespread racial discrimination in hiring, transfers, and seniority, but found that Bowman had stopped discriminating with respect to each job category on the date when it hired a Black for the first time in that job. The court awarded the class only partial relief, denying (among other proposed remedies) the claim for class back pay, affirmative hiring provisions, reporting provisions, and retained juris diction. As to Plaintiff Franks, the Court found racial discrimination in denying him promotion, and retaliatory discharge, but denied Franks any relief on the ground that he had failed to file suit within 30 days of issuance of a Notice of Right to Sue letter in March, 1969. As to Intervenor Lee, the court found racial discrimination in the initial failure to hire him, and awarded him $6,124.58 back pay, but found no racial discrimination in his subsequent discharge. Judgment was entered on July 14, 1972 pursuant to the Court's Order and Decree (28a), and was amended by the court on August 2, 1972 (30a). plaintiff and intervenor filed their Notice of Appeal on July 26, 1972 (75a). Statement of Facts 1. The Defendants 1 Operations Defendant Bowman Transportation Co. ("Bowman", or "the Company") is an interstate trucking company operating throughout the Southeast and parts of the Midwest. Its principal terminals are in Atlanta, Birmingham, Charlotte, and Richmond (2a). it 4 is in the process of moving its main office from Gadsden, Alabama to Atlanta (2a, 371a-372a). Bowman, first in 1967 and again in 1970, entered into three-year collective bargaining agreements with defendant Local 13600 of the Allied and Technical Workers of the united States and Canada ("defendant union"), under which the union represents Bowman employees in Over-the-Road Driver, City Driver, Dock Worker and Shop (or Maintenance Department) jobs. The office, sales and clerical jobs at each terminal are outside the bargaining unit (3a). This case encompasses Bowman's entire Atlanta operation (including non-union jobs) and Over-the-Road Driver (OTR) jobs company-wide (3a). The Atlanta Terminal bargaining unit is divided for seniority purposes into the Maintenance Department, the Dock Department (including city Drivers), and the Over-the- Road Department, which constitutes a single department company wide (3a) . The OTR Department, consisting of 400-500 drivers company wide, performs the basic freight transport function of the company. Road drivers earn the highest wage paid by the company to any non-management employee (882a-883a). All road drivers are required to operate tractor-trailer vehicles (94a) and the company would prefer that an OTR applicant have at least one year tractor-trailer experience (560a). However, the company has hired road drivers with no tractor-trailer experience as trainees, where an experienced driver was willing to train them (250a-251a, 560a). 5 The Dock Department consisting, in Atlanta, of about 80 City Drivers and 150-200 Dock Workers (882a) - stackers and checkers - performs local pick up and delivery and loading and unloading of freight onto the interstate tractor-trailers (93a-94a). Except for City Drivers who need knowledge of tractor-trailer driving (120a), the Dock Department jobs are largely non-skilled, manual labor occupations (93a-94a, 389a). Dock jobs are at the middle of the wage ladder (883a). The Maintenance Department or Shop is comprised of the Trailer Shop (including body repair), the Tractor Shop (including engine repair) and the Tire Shop (3a). it maintains and repairs Company equipment (94a-95a). its personnel of about 120 employees (882a) ranges from skilled mechanics who earn as much as or more than Dock workers, to Tire Changers who earn the lowest wages of any union-represented employees (883a), and perform the most menial work (344a-345a). Office and clerical employees (between 50-100 employees, 882a), though not unionized, in essence constitute a separate department in the terminal (3a). 2. An Overview of Defendant's Discriminatory Practices The record in this case indicates a long-standing, deliberate and comprehensive policy and practice by Bowman to exclude Blacks completely from all but the most menial, lowest-paying jobs; to subject its few Black employees to constant deprivations and indignities, both material and psychological; and to withhold equal employment opportunities from Blacks, even 6 under the pressure of this suit, until the last possible moment. Even when Bowman tardily yielded in some respects, it went only so far as it felt absolutely compelled to go by the filing of EEOC charges, court suits, and finally, the judicial decree. This comprehensive and intractable policy and practice of deliberate race discrimination is the leit-motif of this record. it appears in candid admissions by company officers under oath, through clear, convincing, and unrebutted statis tical evidence of nearly total job segregation, and through the vivid testimony of numerous Black employees and rejected applicants. The record irrefutably proves that: (1) Until August, 1968, Bowman employed Blacks only in the most menial, lowest-paying jobs - Tire Changer and Clean-Up Man - while hiring whites exclusively in the higher paying OTR and Dock/city Driver Departments, and into mechanic, clerical and office positions (7a, 882a-884a); (2) Since 1968, and up until the date of trial, Bowman has tardily hired only a token number of Blacks into previously all-white OTR and Dock/city Driver departments, and none at all into mechanic, clerical and office jobs (882a, 883a, 885a). (3) Bowman has perpetuated the effects of its hiring practices first by a flat no-transfer rule (562a) and then by instituting a strict departmental seniority system and dis couraging or disallowing inter-departmental transfers or promotions under that system (872a-873a, 876a-878a, 97a), 7 as well as by threatening reprisals against Blacks who sought intra-departmental transfer (268a-273a, 323a-327a). 3. Exclusion of Blacks from Qver-the-Road Driver Jobs Bowman adhered to an admitted, conscious policy not to hire or even consider hiring Blacks as road drivers until 3/well into 1970 (6a, 113a-114a, 116a-120a, 255a-256a). During the period 1959 to 1970, Bowman hired many hundreds of white OTRs (108a, 667a, 948a-969a). When Intervenor Lee applied and was rejected in early 1970, Bowman had still never hired a Black OTR. Later, in the fall of 1970, faced by Intervenor's 3/ Bowman's attitude is perhaps best expressed by testimony of Sam Crisco, the officer charged with hiring in Atlanta and supervising Road Drivers system-wide from 1967 through 1971 (at 248a): THE COURT: During this time [January 1970] youweren’t hiring any blacks out of the Atlanta Terminal, were you? THE WITNESS: No, sir. THE COURT: Wasn't everybody saying they were going to put it off as long as they could? THE WITNESS: Saying about hiring black drivers? THE COURT: Uh, huh. THE WITNESS: We didn't have the facilities for hiring. THE COURT: You mean in bunk beds and showers? THE WITNESS: Yes, sir. THE COURT: All your drivers were telling you every day not to hire anybody and you decided to tough it out as long as you could, isn't that the fact? THE WITNESS: Yes, sir, we were waiting until wewere confronted with it. We had had some to say they would leave themselves. 8 from the OFCC (118a),pending EEOC charge (117a) and pressure the company hired its first Black road drivers. By year's end, it had hired ten Blacks - in Birmingham only. (6a, 889a). At the time Bowman hired these Black OTRs at Birmingham, it employed at least 400 whites (882a). It remained company policy not to hire Black OTRs at other terminals (119a-120a). The company followed this overtly discriminatory policy until September, 1971, several months after the complaint was filed in this case. in September, 1971, Bowman hired its first Black drivers at Atlanta and Richmond (892a). In February, 1972 - only one month prior to trial - a Black driver was hired for the first t time at charlotte (6a, 892a). in addition, the number of Blacks hired into OTR jobs up to the date of trial indicates that, far from making its best remedial efforts, the company was continuing to apply a policy which the district judge characterized as to "put off [Black driver employment] as long as [they] could" (6a, 248a). Bowman's stubborn persistence in continuing to follow this exclusionary policy is clearly reflected in the pertinent statistical evidence, all of which remains unrebutted. After hiring ten Black OTRs including Intervener Lee in a four-month period in Birmingham at the end of 1970, Bowman hired only 17 more in the 15-month period prior to trial (889a), while it hired at least 134 whites (887a, 948a-969a). On February 26, 4/ One reason given by Bowman for restricting Black hiring to Birmingham was that Black OTRs s^tioned there could be assigne to drive to Midwestern states and kept out of120a). Another has to do with Bowman’s segregated facilitLe (117 )• 9 1972, one month prior to trial, the company's Black Road Driver contingent numbered 18 out of a total of 550, or 3.3% (948a-969a). Moreover, after the first flurry of Black hiring^ Bowman has gone on to hire Black drivers at a decreasing rate. These figures are rendered more stark by the added fact that the number of Black driver applicants increased 300% from 1970 to 1971, from 62 to 167 (889a) - including a 250% increase during that time in Black applicants who indicated more than one year of experience, from 41 to 105 (890a-891a). Because the company had difficulty filling Road Driver vacancies with whites (667a), in about 1968 it instituted a training program for OTR applicants with little or no prior tractor-trailer experience (667a). Because a trainee required a Driver-sponsor who was willing to do the training (560a) and because white drivers refused to train Blacks (654a), Blacks were excluded from the training program (255a-256a). At least 75-150 white trainees were hired in the period 1968- 1971 under this program (250a-251a). Bowman’s exclusionary racial policies and the statistical evidence of their devastating results are graphically illustrated 5/ The district judge's understanding that 10% of the OTRs were Black at the time of trial (6a) il plainly incorrect ccording to the March 1, 1972 OTR seniority list submitted by Bowman (948a-969a). (Blacks on that list are marked with an "3 6/ Black White > B September - Dec. 1970 10 26 28% Year of 1971 13 88 12% Jan. - Feb. 1972 4 46 8% (889a, 948a-969a) - 10 - by evidence of the company's treatment of two Black OTR applicants who were witnesses at trial (6a). Sandy McLaughlin sent his Road application to the Gadsden office in August, 1970 (153a), indicating 9-14 years of truck driving experience, no accidents and one six-year old $10.00 traffic violation. His race was also indicated by the picture Bowman's application form requires of all Road Driver applicants (922a-926a, 793a-794a). Bowman responded one day later with !_/a two-line rejection letter (926a). Unice Harbor responded to a Bowman advertisement for Road Drivers in October, 1970 in Atlanta. He filled out an appli cation which indicated he had at least eight years of over-the- road experience, an accident-free driving record, and one traffic violation (314a-318a, 321a). Bowman's rejection of Harbor's application (318a-319a) remains wholly unexplained by the company. The trial court found that both McLaughlin and Harbor 8/ had been rejected for reasons of race (6a). Conceding the past prevalence of this rigid exclusionary policy, Bowman 7/ The company claimed that McLaughlin was not hired because of failure to sign the application's temporary agreement, and not giving requested information on past employment (793a). The latter cause was revealed to be incorrect during cross-examination of the supervisor who made the decision (794a-796a). The purported inadvertent failure to sign on the back of the application was exposed as an irrelevancy, considering that the supervisor knew the applicant to be Black (794a) and knew of the company policy of not hiring Black OTRs at that time (796a). 8/ Bowman's discriminatory refusal to hire Intervenor Lee as an OTR is detailed separately in Part 6 below,, p.22. 11 nevertheless asserted at trial that it had subsequently ended any trace of discrimination (535a-538a). The company's proof consisted entirely of assertions by company officials that they no longer discriminate on the basis of race (711a, 714a, 725a, 781a-782a). Garfield Salyers, the President, while expressing satisfaction with the company's equal employment program (550a), admitted that he had not even reviewed its results (550a). Nor had he done anything positive, besides issuing bulletins and newspaper ads (552a-553a). Indeed, the company's entire case is based on bald assertion that it no longer discriminates, plus correspondence with various government agencies to that effect (Def. Ex. 1-68). 4. Exclusion and Segregation of Black Employees in Atlanta Terminal A. Maintenance Department Within this department, Blacks have historically been segregated into the lowest—paying, most menial jobs Tire Changer, Clean—Up Man and janitor — and excluded from all others (882a). No Black had ever to the date of trial been employed as a Mechanic (in either Tractor or Trailer Shop), a higher paying job to which several Black applicants have openly aspired (327a, 439a-440a, 503a, 511a). Bowman's prior experience requirement for a Mechanic C (junior Mechanic) is "knowledge of lubricants and component parts" (441a). This experience may either be acquired (1) by working in the Grease Man job (a job 12 into which no Black has ever been hired since it became a training ground for mechanics (882a)) or (2) by gaining such experience "in other places" (442a). Bowman determines whether a man has such outside experience by "talking to him" (441a- 443a). Evidence showed that several of Bowman's Black applicants had the required elementary mechanical experience (339a, 624a, 647a-648a). In sum, Bowman kept the Mechanic job all-white, and thus the Maintenance Department totally segregated, by blocking both avenues of entry into the better jobs in the Department. In addition, Bowman's hiring policies continue to promote job segregation in this Department. Since 1968, the only Tire Shop employees hired have been Black, and 65 out of 66 of the Tractor and Trailer Shop employees (and all of the mechanics in these Shops) have been white (894a-895a). Thus, the Mechanic jobs have remained 100% white, and the Tire Changer, Clean-Up Man and janitor jobs in August, 1971 remained 87% Black - 20 out of 23 (882a). Job segregation in the Shops (and throughout the plant) Jis fostered ;lay the company's recruitment system. As the court below found, Bowman relies either on referrals from other employees, which perpetuate the racial makeup of those employees' Shops (5a), or on "walk-ins," who are referred to departments according to race, with Blacks always referred to the Tire Shop (5a) . 13 B. Dock and City Driver Department The Dock jobs - checker and stacker - require no previous work experience and are essentially manual labor jobs (93a-94a, 389a). Despite this fact, these jobs remained all-white until August, 1968 (7a). When the first Black dock worker was hired, Bowman employed at least 200 whites (882a). As late as August, 1971, Blacks held only 6% of these jobs - 10 out of 173 (882a). The City Driver jobs, most of which are filled by promotion from the historically segregated Dock jobs (390a-391a), were never held by a Black until June, 1969 (7a). in August, 1971 only 4% - 3 out of 84 - of City Drivers were Black (882a). Thus the former policy of absolute exclusion has since 1968-69 been replaced by a policy of hiring a token number of Blacks. In 1969-1970, Bowman hired Blacks for 6 out of 56 (or 11%) of the Dock Worker jobs it filled, and 3 out of 37 (or 8%) of the City Driver jobs filled (894a). These statistics are all the more dramatic in light of the fact that the entry- level Dock job - stacker - has requirements indistinguishable from those of the all-Black Tire Changer job (389a, 466a). C. Clerical and Office Workers There has never been a Black employee in any of the Atlanta Terminal's 60-100 office, sales or clerical jobs (372a-373a, 882a). The lily-white composition of Bowman's clerical staff is maintained by several aspects of the company's system of recruitment and hiring. Recruitment for clerical jobs is an 14 especially close-knit, word-of-mouth operation, in which no advertisements or public notices are used (369a). Current office employees tell their friends of the few clerical openings which are anticipated (5a, 369a). Moreover, until some time in the Spring of 1971 (365a-367a), Bowman adminis- 9/ tered the Wonderlic test to clerical applicants. Wonderlic scores were used to disqualify the only two Black clerical applicants the company ever had up to that point (365a—367a, 10/374a). D. Lock-in Transfer and Seniority Rules Prior to August, 1967, all jobs in the company were totally segregated by race (3a, 882a). In the Maintenance Department, the company maintained separate Tractor, Trailer, and Tire Shops, and Blacks were only hired into the Tire Shop (3a, 882a). At the same time, transfer between Shops was prohibited by company policy (3a) and in fact (100a). Transfers to the City Driver/Dock and OTR Departments were similarly prohibited (3a, 840a) and Blacks were, as a result, entirely excluded from these jobs (3a, 882a)„ 9/ The Supreme Court has found this test to be illegal when^ not validated and used to disqualify Black applicants, since it leads to disparate racial results and is typically not job- related. Griggs v. Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424 (1971). Bowman never attempted to validate its use of the Wonderlic (551a—552a). 10/ Bowman characteristically did nothing to remedy the past effects of this test use after its discontinuance. Although the company keeps all applications on file (370a), it made no effort to contact the rejected Black applicants after use of the test was discontinued (375a). 15 Superimposed on this pattern of job segregation and no transfer rules, a rigid, departmental seniority system came into effect in 1967 with the first collective bargaining agreement. The collective bargaining agreement signed in 1967 (and later that of 1970) enumerated three departments - Shop, City Driver/Dock and Over-the-Road - with departmental seniority as the governing factor in promotion and transfer (872a-873a, 876a-878a). There was no provision for inter- 11/departmental transfer, and an employee could not transfer between departments without loss of accumulated seniority. Had this system been fairly followed, it would have penalized Blacks with greater company seniority wishing to transfer to a previously all-white department, in favor of whites with less company seniority already employed therein (7a). This disincentive alone would explain a total absence of any inter-departmental transfer. Yet the possibility of transfer was made even more remote by Bowman's discriminatory application of the contractual system. Despite what the contract states, management policy is to prohibit inter departmental transfers, even where an employee is willing to give up his accumulated departmental seniority (562a). In addition, within the Shop there have evolved, completely outside the collective bargaining context, two separate bidding systems: in August of each year, there is a general bid in which all Shop jobs are thrown open and in which any Shop 11/ Except from Road Driver to City Driver/Dock in a very few hardship or accident situations (3a, 98a-99a). 16 employee is (theoretically - see below) allowed to bid (434a). It is only at this time that even departmental seniority can be utilized fully. Throughout the year, there are special bids whenever a vacancy arises, which are posted only within the area of the Shop - Tractor, Trailer or Tire - in which the vacancy occurs (399a, 434a-436a). While in theory any Shop employee can always use his Shop seniority to bid for any vacancy in the Shops, this "special" bidding system creates the effect of sub departmentalization, and furthers the restrictive company policy. As a result, no Tire Shop employee has ever been promoted to any other job, even within the Maintenance Department (269a, 882a). In addition. Bowman's supervisors have repeatedly and openly threatened Black employees who seek transfer. Blacks have been told that they could bid for better jobs only at the risk of losing their current ones (7a, 327a), or that to transfer they had to resign for six weeks and then reapply (8a). Plaintiff Franks sought both inter— and intra—departmental transfer several times from 1966-1968 (268a-273a). He was rebuffed both by "sympathetic" supervisors who feared company reprisal for assistance in promoting or training Blacks (270a), and by an unsympathetic company official who told him bluntly you was hired in as a tire changer and you stay at that position (272a). Witness M. P. Williams, a tire changer until 1971, described his and many other tire changers' persistent efforts to better themselves (323a-326a), which were met by management rebuffs, culminating when the Superintendent of the Maintenance Department told the assembled Tire Men that "as long as he was 17 there and the boss over the shop, they would never be nothing but clean-up boys" (326a-327a). A current tire changer, George Clark, corroborated williams' testimony (346a). The company produced testimony from a parade of current 12/tire changers who dutifully testified that they were satisfied with their jobs and not desirous of advancement. In fact, cross-examination of several of these men exposed suppressed dissatisfaction, evidence of rebuff, and in several instances qualification and positive desire for improved status. For example, Ernest Leary testified that when he, along with two other tire changers (514a), sought to be promoted to the Trailer Shop during the general August, 1971 bid, their super visor warned that they would lose their seniority if they bid 13/for that job (510a-511a). Percy Grubbs testified to wanting to drive a tractor-trailer, at which he had 18 years of experience (632a-634a). He had not applied, however, due to his understanding that the union rules required him to quit "for a period of time" (634a-635a). Clifford Barksdale applied to Bowman early in July, 1970, for work in the Dock Department (618a-621a). He was told there were no openings and directed to the Tire Shop, where he was hired on August 11, 1970 (620a- 621a). in July-August, 1970 Bowman hired five white applicants 12/ We would recall the fact that these witnesses remain employed by Bowman and remain subject to reprisals similar to that unhesitatingly used by the company against Plaintiff Franks. 13/ Notwithstanding the fact that, according to the contract, tKie Tire Changer and Trailer Shop jobs are in the same departmental seniority unit (872a-873a, 876a-878a). 18 into the dock jobs Barksdale had originallv sought, including two who applied the same week that Barksdale filled out an application (625a-626a, 869a-870a). Bowman's use of departmental and, in effect, sub-depart- mental seniority cannot conceivably be justified as a business necessity. On the contrary, the defendant union's repre sentative, familiar with Bowman's operations, testified unequivocally that full company-wide seniority was both feasible and desirable for Bowman (841a, 853a-854a). 5. Plaintiff Franks' Individual Claims Plaintiff Franks was hired as a Grease Man in 1961, transferred to Tire Changer in about 1963, and remained in that job throughout his employment with the company (261a-263a). Despite having never seen any Black Tire Changer promoted out of that job (265a), from 1966 through 1968 Franks persistently sought to do so (12a, 268a~272a). Franks spoke to the Trailer Shop supervisor, who told him that, although the supervisor felt that the Blacks should be promoted, he could not allow it (269a-271a). Franks also inquired about a dock position, and repeatedly sought through his own supervisor, Charlie Andrews, to improve his lot within the Maintenance Department (Id.). For at least three years, he met rebuff at each turn (272a). Finally, after watching white men hired off the street into higher paying jobs (269a), Franks filed an EEOC charge on March 25, 1968, alleging that despite his efforts he had not been promoted, and indicating that the company generally did not allow Blacks - 1 9 - to promote into all-white jobs (911a). At the time Franks sought promotion into these jobs, the district court found, Bowman followed a policy excluding Blacks from the Tractor and Trailer Shops and the Dock Depart ment (7a, 12a, 882a), and of discouraging transfers generally (7a). The district court implicitly found that Franks was discriminatorily refused promotion by noting (in its calculation of his economic loss due to the unlawful discharge) that he deserved to be promoted to a dock job by at least late 1967 (13a). Bowman's reaction to the EEOC charge was swift and predictable. Although he had never been criticized for his work before (275a), and admittedly had done a good job for Bowman (400a-401a), Franks soon received his first warning letter (276a). Shortly afterwards, on the same day that an EEOC investigator appeared at the Terminal to investigate Franks' 14/ charge, Franks was discharged (12a, 289a-290a) The lower court saw the company's purported cause for discharge as the sham it was, and found that Bowman had unlawfully retaliated against Franks (13a). 14/ The reason given for the discharge by Bowman was Franks' "unauthorized bobtailing" (driving a tractor without a trailer) (12a), to bring his laundered uniforms to his car, remaining at all times on company property (13a). To the contrary, there was clear evidence that: (1) no one had ever before been discharged for bobtailing solely on company property (481a, 597a, 13a); (2) all bobtailing discharges resulted from bobtailing plus another serious violation, such as using narcotics (597a); (3) bobtailing had always been an offense for which Road Drivers and not terminal employees had been discharged (597a-600a); and (4) in fact, terminal employees often ran short personal errands on company property with management's knowledge and acquiescence, at times using unconnected tractors (13a, 287a-288a, 336a-337a). - 2 0 - The court found that Franks would be entitled to in15/ excess of $5,000 back pay on his discharge claim. However, the court found that Franks' claims were barred by his failure to file suit within 30 days of issuance of a suit letter on March 21, 1969 (16a). A recital of certain procedural facts is therefore necessary. On March 21, 1969, the EEOC mailed statutory notice, of the plaintiff's right to sue in federal court (the "first suit letter") to the home address of the plaintiff's grand mother, sister and nephew (14a, 825a). The plaintiff received his mail at that address, since his own residence, several doors away, was not equipped with a mailbox (824a-825a). The "first suit letter" was delivered to that address on March 22, 1969 and signed for by the plaintiff's nine-year old nephew, Calvin High (14a, 945a-946a). The letter was lost by the young boy (827a), and the court below found that plain tiff never received it personally (14a, 16a) ; nor did he then have any way of knowing that a letter from EEOC had been sent (827a- 16/828a). As a result, he could not have filed suit at that time. On March 20, 1970 plaintiff-- apparently wondering what had become of his claim-;— returned to the EEOC and executed an affidavit affirming the facts recited above (944a). Plaintiff later retained his present attorneys and filed amended EEOC charges (14a-15a). They requested the suit letter that he received on or about April 14, 1971 (the "second suit letter"), 15/ This amount is calculated using the earnings figures found to apply by the district court (13a) and covers only the period 1968-1971, without consideration of earlier and later periods for which Franks has a claim. 16/ Plaintiff apparently contacted an attorney in 1969 (828a), who apparently requested that EEOC issue the "first suit letter". There is nothing in the record to indicate that that attorney received a copy of the suit letter. In any event, he did not file suit and has not communicated with the plaintiff since (829a). which was the first one Franks actually received (908a). The case at bar was timely initiated on May 5, 1971 pursuant to the April, 1971 notice of plaintiff's right to sue. 6. Intervenor Lee's Discharge Claim Intervenor Lee presented a dual claim of discrimination to the district court, contending that Bowman had initially refused to hire him and later discharged him because of his race. The district court found for Lee on his failure to hire claim, but disallowed the discharge claim, the sole issue ap pealed by Lee here (22a). Thus while Lee's refusal to hire claim is not at issue, the facts surrounding that claim bear on his subsequent discharge and must be briefly discussed. Lee applied for employment as a road driver with Bowman on January 13, 1970 (173a, 897a). Although a well qualified driver with 19 years experience (170a-172a, 902a) free from even a single chargeable accident (901a), Lee's application was rejected in favor of less qualified whites (18a). Lee then filed a charge of race discrimination with the EEOC (905a) and subsequently, on September 14, 1970, became one of Bowman's first pair of Black road drivers to be hired anywhere in the system. Because of the resentment harbored by its white employees, Bowman domiciled these first Black drivers exclusively in Birm ingham, where the absence of bunk and shower facilities made the integration of its driver force more feasible in the Company's opinion (117a-118a), Once employed, Lee like all other Black 22 1 drivers was limited to "single runs" or "double runs" with other Blacks (654a, 672a), again in an effort to appease the "considerable driver resentment against the hiring of Black road drivers" (5a). Lee continued as a model employee until the date of his discharge on March 18, 1971 (673a). The district court noted that " [h]is service ... was entirely satisfactory to management and he had a good record" (19a). On that date Lee was summarily discharged by Joseph D. Woods, Safety Supervisor at Bowman's Birmingham Terminal (663a-665a). Woods was summoned to Bowman's Gadsden Terminal by its shop foreman, Wayland Hines, who had been apprised of the fuel pump alteration on Lee's assigned tractor (664a). Woods' testimony revealed that he had never discharged any other employee for fuel pump alteration (674a) and that he had furthermore acted without direct knowledge of Lee's case, solely on the representation of the Gadsden Shop foreman and two white mechanics who had serviced Lee's truck (665a). He stated that he "had no alternative but to discharge him [Lee]" under Company rules, because the tractor had been checked out to Lee the week prior to the discharge with fuel pump seal intact (665a). Despite his testimony that he was aware of the pervasive racial prejudice existing among Bowman's white employees (654a), Woods based his decision on the representations made by members of Bowman's solidly white mechanic force (751a), and in the face of Lee's steadfast denials of any involvement in the alter ation (218a, 664a). Woods' decision was made shortly after his arrival at the Gadsden Terminal, without further investigation 23 or consultation. Woods, as well as the mechanics and shop foreman, testified that they knew Lee's truck had been un attended for a two-hour period between 6 A.M. and 7:30 A.M., while parked in the Gadsden Yard along with other tractors some 25 yards from the garage (755a ff). The mechanics also testified that alteration of a fuel pump was a simple fifteen minute task, which virtually anyone might accomplish, even as a prank (746a, 751a). At approximately 7:30 A.M. an unidenti fied mechanic drove the tractor into the garage for servicing to be performed by yet another two mechanics. The altered fuel pump was first noted by the shop foreman an hour and a half later (770a ff). Lee sought relief from his discharge both through the present Title VII action and by way of arbitration under the company-union collective bargaining agreement. He won his arbitration hearing on October 29, 1971 (914a-921a) and was ordered reinstated with full back pay (921a). However, the collective bargaining agreement in force between the defen dants limited the award of back pay to one month's wages and contained no anti-discrimination provisions (209a, Pi. Ex. 1 (S)) . Lee then proceeded with his Title VII claim in the lower court, now seeking full back pay for his "no-cause” termination which he contended was racially discriminatory. The lower court found that Lee's discharge was not the result of race discrim ination and refused to order further back pay (22a). 24 ARGUMENT I. THE INJUNCTIVE RELIEF GRANTED BY THE DISTRICT COURT WAS TOTALLY INADEQUATE TO TERMINATE THE WIDESPREAD PRESENT EFFECTS OF THE DEFENDANTS' DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES. The district court found that the defendants had practiced overt discrimination and segregation in job assignments, trans fers, hirings and training practices. See Court's Opinion pp. 3-7 (3a-7a). Despite these findings, the district court failed to grant affirmative relief that would even begin to overcome the effects of past discrimination. The district court only allowed partial use of plant senior ity by members of the affected class who were previously assigned into the lowest-paying and least desirable jobs at Bowman's terminal. Furthermore, the district court failed to provide any affirmative relief in the areas of training or hiring, nor did the court even retain jurisdiction or require reporting of defendants' employment practices in order to monitor their com pliance with the decree. In each of these aspects, the district court's decree is deficient. We ask this Court to remedy those deficiencies. The fundamental inadequacy of the district court's remedies follows from its basic misapprehension of the purpose and scope of Title VII. The district court failed to apply the broad equit able power of district courts to terminate discrimination, since the district court, incorrectly, did not interpret the statute or judicial precedent to require any affirmative remedies, even in the extreme circumstances of this case. At one point the dis- - 25 trict court candidly acknowledged this belief by stating that ["an affirmative duty to hire Blacks . . . ] is a legal zero" (379a). This Court has been emphatic in stressing the duties of the district courts to overcome all the effects of racial dis crimination. Voqler v. McCarty, Inc.. 451 F.2d 1236, 1238 (5th Cir. 1971). District courts, accordingly, are not limited to simply "parroting" the act's prohibition but rather are required, pursuant to §706 (g) of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. §2000e-5(g), to order "such affirmative relief as may be appropriate". Asbestos Workers Local 53 v. Voqler, 407 F.2d 1047, 1052-1053 (5th Cir. 1969); Rowe v. General Motors Corp., 457 F.2d 348, 355 (5th Cir. 1972); see United States v. Iron Workers Local 86. 443 F.2d 544, 553 (9th Cir. 1971). cert, denied, 404 U.S. 984 (1971); Louisiana v. United States, 380 U.S. 145, 154 (1965). The partial relief granted by the district court fails to re cognize either the general importance of affirmative relief under Title VII as repeatedly set forth by this Court, or the types of specific affirmative relief held appropriate in this and other courts to remedy discriminatory employment practices similar to those found herein. A. The Inadequate Seniority Relief Granted By the District Court Perpetuates The Adverse Effects On Black Workers Of Defendants' Discriminatory Practices. (1) Terminal Employees. The district court found that prior to August 15, 1968, all Black workers were exclusively assigned to menial and low-paying jobs of tire changer and clean-up man at Bowman. This racial segregation by job or department is identical to employment 2 6 patterns that existed in Crown-Zellerbach Corporation, the defendant in the seminal opinion of this Court concerning appropriate senior ity relief. United States v. Local 189, 310 F.Supp. 906 (E.D. La. 1969), aff'd sub. nom. Local 189 v. United States. 416 F.2d 980 (5th Cir. 1969), cert.denied, 397 U.S. 919 (1970). See Hicks v. Crown-Zellerbach Corp.. 321 F.Supp. 1241 (E.D. La. 1971) (final order compelling use of full plant seniority). Here, the same form of discrimination requires the same relief - full use of plant seniority. However, the district court's partial seniority relief stopped far short of the full use of plant seniority: Black workers who had been discriminatorily assigned to all-Black jobs are only permitted use of company seniority accumulated prior to August 15, 1968 to promote or transfer to better paying and previously all-white jobs (25a). This denial of company seniority accumulated since that date obviously blocks Black workers from attaining their "rightful place". The halfway seniority relief ordered herein is unprecedented and has no justification within the factual context of this action. August 15, 1968, is no more than the date that a single Black worker has hired into a single job at the Atlanta Terminal other than tire changer or clean-up man. This token deviation from Bowman's previously absolute racial pattern of assignment in no way affected the Black workers who had been previously assigned to inferior jobs. These Black workers were still "locked in" to these jobs by restrictive transfer rules and by the loss of departmental seniority if they transferred. See Statement of Facts 15-19. The remedy for these discriminatory practices is clear: whenever a member of the affected class seeks transfer or promo tion or seeks to protect his job in a lay-off, roll back, or re assignment situation, that person's full company-wide seniority must be utilized. Local 189 v. United States, supra; Long v. Georgia Kraft Company, 450 F.2d 557, 560 (5th Cir. 1971); United States v. Jacksonville Terminal Co., 451 F.2d 418 (5th Cir. 1971) cert denied 4 EPD f7774; United States v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 446 F.2d 652 (2nd Cir. 1971); Robinson v. Lorillard Corporation, 444 F .2d 791 (4th Cir. 1971), cert.dismissed 404 U.S. 1006; Quarles v. Philip Morris, 279F.Supp. 505 (E.D. Va. 1968). See Bailey v. American Tobacco Company, 462 F.2d 160 (6th Cir. 1972) (2) Road Drivers The district court found that open and unjustifiable dis crimination prevented the hiring of Black OTR applicants prior to January 1, 1972 (25a-26a). But as relief, the district court provided only that Black applicants for OTR positions prior to that date should have preference for consideration of their appli cation. Once again the district court adopted a halfway measure to overcome discriminatory effects. The court erred in failing to provide that all such applicants hired pursuant to its decree should have seniority back to the time they would have been hired 17/ but for the discriminatory practices of Bowman. 17/ The district court raised several evidentiary and legal objections to "retroactive" seniority (10a). These are the same unwarranted objections raised by the district court to the award of back pay; these objections are discussed in part II, infra, dealing with the issue of class back pay. 28 O F F IC E O F T H E C L E R K U N IT E D STA TE S C O U R T O F A P P E A L S N E W O R L E A N S , LOUISIANA 7 0 1 3 0 P O S T A G E A N D FE E S P A ID U N IT E D S T A T E S C O U R T S O F FIC IA L B U S IN E S S P E N A L T Y FO R P R IV A T E U S E , $ 3 0 0 Ms. Elaine R. Jones and Mr. Jack Greenberg Attorneys at Law 10 Columbus Circle Suite 2030 New York, New York 10019 21 The date of OTR seniority determines the driver's ability to bid for better truck runs and to protect his job seniority in case of lay-off. If these Black employees are not allowed retro active seniority, then they will be limited in their job oppor tunities for the remainder of their employment at Bowman solely on account of prior discriminatory employment practices. This result is impermissible under the well-settled principle of law that all the effects of past discrimination must be remedied. Voaler v. McCarty. Inc., supra at 1238; Long v. Georgia Kraft Co., supra at 561. B. The District Court Erred In Affording Minimal HiringRelief Despite The Long-Standing Racially Exclusionary Hiring Policies of Bowman. The district court denied affirmative hiring relief despite evidence demonstrating that Bowman maintained a blatantly dis criminatory hiring system. (Statement of Facts, pp. 8-15) The need for such relief is all the more compelling here because of BowmaPlj consistent refusal to change its discriminatory hiring practices except under direct pressure from OFCC or the filing of this lawsuit. In particular, affirmative injunctive relief is required in two specific departments: Over-the-Road drivers and clerical staff. (1) Over the Road Drivers. With respect to the OTR department, the district court found that "[T]he company presently employs no racial discrimina tion in hiring road drivers and some 10% of such drivers are now Black" (6a). This finding is directly contrary to the evidence. 2 9 The district court'sSee Statement of Facts, p. 10 and n.5. appraisal of Bowman's current practices is at best naive. As this Circuit has noted, "[s]uch actions [as Bowman's hiring of a few Black OTRs after the EEOC charge and this action were filed] in the face of litigation are equiovocal in purpose, motive, and perman ence." Jenkins v. United Gas Corp., 400 F.2d 28, 33 (5th Cir. 1968); Rowe v. General Motors Corp., 457 F.2d 348, 359 (5th Cir. 1972). In fact, the record here suggests that Bowman did retrench, following its first tentative hiring concessions in 1970 (p. 10 n.6 supra). Whatever partial relaxation of Bowman's discriminatory practices might result from the district court's general injunc tion, in the absence of any affrimative hiring provisions that relaxation could prove equally ephemeral. Bowman's segregationist policy had particularly pernicious results in) the OTR department; scores of qualified Black appli cants were rejected without consideration while inexperienced white drivers were hired. This deliberate policy was strictly adhered to six years after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights 18 / Act.— Additional affirmative relief is therefore mandated for OTR hiring. Given the ready supply of qualified Black OTR applicants and the appalling discriminatory results of Bowman'sv past practice. Bowman should be required to hire one Black OTR driver for each white OTR driver hired until 20% of the OTR 12/drivers at Bowman are Black. ,R / It is particularly revealing as to the lack of interest on the part of Bowman to afford Black drivers the opportunity to work the high paying OTR driver jobs that Bowman had not as of the date of trial contacted the numerous qualified Black applicants whose appli cations had been rejected solely on account of their race. 19/ their Appellants suggested this remedy to the district court in Proposed Advisory Decree (68a-69a). , _ 30 _ Of course, this affirmative hiring order need not compel Bowman to hire in this ratio if qualified Black applicants are unavailable. However, the evaluation of a Black applicant's qualifications should not be more stringent than the evaluation of white applicants' qualifications in the past. See Statement of Facts pp. 8-11. The objective evidence of the record indicates that numerous qualified Black OTRs are available and do apply (890a-891a). In addition. Bowman should be required to con duct an active public campaign to attract qualified Black appli cants and to contact likely sources of such applicants. The utilization of an affirmative hiring or training order providing that a fixed ratio of Blacks be hired or trained until present effects of discrimination are overcome is an established and necessary form of Title VII injunctive relief. United States v. Central Motor Lines, Inc., 338 F.Supp. 532, 563 (W.D.N.C. 1971) (one Black driver hired for each white driver until 20% of OTRs are Black); Carter v. Gallagher, 452 F.2d 315, 331 (8th Cir. 1971) (rehearing en banc) (one Black for every two whites hired until twenty Black firemen on force); Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 339 F.Supp. 1108, 1124-1125 (N.D. Ala. 1972); Strain v. Philpott, 331 F.Supp. 836 (N.D. Ala. 1971), order issued 4 EPD f7562 (requiring 50% minority hiring); NAACP v. Allen, 340 F.Supp. 703 (M.D. Ala. 1972) (one Black for each white hired until 25% of the force is Black); see United States v. Frazer, 317 F.Supp. 1079 (M.D. Ala. 1970); Madlock v. Sardis Luggage Co., 3 EPD f8149 (N.D. Miss. 1971) (consent order) (two Black workers hired for every white worker until Black work force proportionate to Black population) ; United States v. Libby-Owens-Ford Company,— Inc., 3 EPD 31 _ f8052 (N.D. Ohio 1971) (consent decree) (two out of next four foremen to be women). The imposition of an affirmative hiring plan which is intended to correct the current and future effects of past discrimination is not limited by Title VII's §703 (j) provision against preferential treatment, 42 U.S.C. §2000e-2(j). A contrary reading would create an anomalous situation: discriminatory practices clearly prohibited by Title VII would be denied effective remedy by that same Act. Thus, numerous courts have directly held that affirmative hiring and/or training programs which include a ratio of Black hiring or training, and which continue in effect only until the termination of present effects of discriminatory practices are contrary to neither Title VII nor the Constitution. United States v. Central Motor Lines,_Inc. supra at 560; Ccrtractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania v. Secretary of Labor. Shultz, et al., 442 F.2d 159 (3rd Cir. 1971), cert, denied 404 U.S. 854 (1971); Southern Illinois Builders Asso ciation v. Qgilvie, 327 F.Supp. 1154, 1159 (S.D. 111. 1971); State of Washington v. Baugh Construction Co., 313 F.Supp. 598, 606 (W.D. Wash. 1969); Joyce v. McCrane, 320 F.Supp. 1284 (D.N.J. 1970). See Local 189 v. United States, supra at 995; United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education, 372 F.2d 826, 876 (5th Cir. 1966), aff1d on rehearing 380 F.2d 385 (5th Cir. 1967) (en banc), ceri denied sub.nom. Caddo Parish School Board v. United States, 389 U.S. 840 (1967); and Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Bd. of Ed. 402 U.S. 1, 25 (1971). (2) Office and Clerical Workers The facts about Bowman's hiring of office and clerical em ployees demand specific hiring relief. The district court found that no Black has ever been employed in office, managerial or cleri cal positions (4a, 882a). As of August, 1971, there were 109 white employees in these positions (Id.) . 32 Despite the total exclusion of Blacks from clerical and managerial positions, the district court found no need to order injunctive relief. The district court based its conclusion on three grounds: first, that Bowman was preparing to hire a single Black clerical worker; second, in the past five years there have been only three or four Black applicants; third, Bowman has treated 2QVBlack applicants similarly to white applicants (8a). The dis trict court ultimately found that"[t]here simply has been little interest by Blacks in clerical positions in this company . . . " and then concluded that there was no racial discrimination here (8a) The district court completely ignored the method of re cruitment utilized by Bowman for these jobs. Bowman relied on its present office and clerical staff — all of whom are white — to refer friends and relatives or to inform them that clerical posi tions were available (369a). Bowman never resorted to newspaper advertising or any other form of public recruitment for clerical applicants. This absolute lack of advertising, combined with the solicitation of new employees through the present clerical staff, »*obviously produces minimal opportunity for any potential Black applicants to seek jobs. This is borne out by the statistical disparity in the number of Black and white applicants: whereas there have been 25 to 30 applicants per year over the last five years for clerical positions, only 3 or 4 of these applications have been submitted by Blacks (364a, 371a). Such a system of re- 20/ This conclusion ignores facts relating to Bowman's use of the Wonderlic Test, see p.15 supra. 33 cruitment through an all-white existing staff is clearly a dis criminatory employment practices. Parham v. Southwestern Bell- Telephone Co., 433 F .2d 421, 427 (8th Cir. 1971); Clark_v. American Marine, 304 F.Supp. 603 (E.D. La. 1969); See United States v. Sheet Metal Workers. Local 36, 416 F.2d 123, 137 (8th Cir. 1970); cf. Rowe v. General Motors Corp., supra at 357-358. Affirmative hiring relief for office jobs is not precluded because only a few Blacks applied. The relief will benefit a class of potential applicants for clerical employment with Bowman. It is unnecessary that every beneficiary of affirmative relief have applied and been turned down, where such application for a his torically all-white department would have been an exercise in futility. Boudreaux v. Baton Rouge Marine Contracting Company, 437 F .2d 1011, 1016 (5th Cir. 1971); Lea v. Cone Mills, 301 F.Supp. 97, 102 (M.D.N.C. 1969); United States v. Sheet Metal Workers, Local 36, supra at 132. To remedy the effects of Bowman's discriminatory recruit ment and hiring policies for both OTR and clerical positions, appropriate affirmative relief should include an order directing Bowman to recruit in a manner specifically designed to advise the Black community of the employment opportunities existing at Bowman, United States v. Sheet Metal Workers, Local 36, suP£.il 133; United States v. IBEW, Local 38,428 F.2d 144, 150 (6th Cir. 1970); United States v. Ironworkers. Local 86, 315 F.Supp. 1202, 1238-1239 (W.D. Wash. 1970), aff'd 443 F.2d 544 (9th Cir. 1971), cert, denied 92 S. Ct. 447 (1971); United States y. Central Motor Linest— Inc., supra at 561-562; United States v. United Association of Journeymen, Plumbers. Local Union 73, 314 F.Supp. 160-166 (S.D. Ind. 1969). 34 C. The District Court Erred In Not Affording Any ReliefRequiring Training Even Though Black Workers Were Con sistently Denied Training Opportunities Solely On Account Of Their Race. Bowman has excluded Black workers from opportunities for training at high-paying and skilled jobs, while it has liberally afforded such opportunities to white workers. Company officials testified that in 1968-1971 Bowman hired 75-150 white OTR drivers who had no prior driving experience (250a-251a). Bowman would then assign these inexperienced applicants to an experienced driver at Bowman to receive training. During the entire period of this training program not a single Black worker was afforded such train ing (and even experienced Black road driver applicants were turned away). A company official testified that it was impossible for Bowman to assign a Black employee to train with a white driver because the white driver would object (248a, 654a). Since Bowman had never hired a black driver it followed from the Company's logic that it could hire no Black OTR trainees. The district judge correctly stated that the bias of its white drivers could not be considered a legal defense to Bowman's discriminatory refusal to hire Black trainees (115a). Nevertheless, the judge failed to grant any appropriate relief from this form of discrimination. In addition, Black terminal workers for many years had been denied initial assignments to jobs that would provide important on-the-job training for skilled and high-paying jobs at Bowman. For example, Black workers in the Maintenance Department were only assigned to the Tire Shop or Clean-up jobs prior to August 15, 1968. Black workers were deprived of the opportunity to work as 3 5 grease men or on the "Inspection Line", which provided training for the mechanic jobs in the Trailer and Tractor Shops. See Statement of Facts, pp. 12-13. As a consequence of this dis criminatory denial of training opportunity Black workers in the Tire Shop are unable to take advantage of the annual bidding for jobs in the Maintenance Department. See Statement of Facts, pp. 13, 17. The district court observed at trial the obvious effect of this discriminatory practice when he stated, "[A]s a practical matter nobody in the tire shop can bump a mechanic" (404a). On-the-job training was also denied by the absolute company policy against hiring Black workers in the dock department prior to August 15, 1968. The dock department provided a line of pro gression for employees assigned to that department to become city drivers and, subsequently, road drivers (390a-391a). Under these circumstances, it is appropriate for the court to order the defendants to establish training programs to "upgrade" the skills of members of the class in order that the effects of past discrimination may be overcome as quickly as possible. Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra at 1124-1125; United States v. Iron Workers, Local 86, 315 F.Supp. supra at 1247-50; United States v. Carpenters, Local 169, 457 F.2d 210 (7th Cir. 1972). The court should order relief that will allow Black workers at Bowman to take advantage of their full company seniority. In particular, the court should order training opportunities for Black applicants to the job of OTR driver in order that the present 36 effects of Bowman's discriminatory hiring practices may be overcome21/ as quickly as possible. In addition, appropriate relief should include training for Black workers locked into the Tire Shop to qualify them to bid into mechanic jobs in the Tractor and Trailer Shops of the Maintenance Department during the August open bidding. 22 /Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra. Courts have not hesitated to order special training programs for Blacks in situations less flagrant than this one. In Buckner, for example, the Court ordered the following injunctive relief: (1) that pre-apprenticeship academic training related to the entrance requirements of the apprenticeship program be given, at company expense, for twenty applicants each year; (2) that counsell ing concerning academic problems and job opportunities be provided by the Company to the participants in the program; (3) that selection of participants in the pre-apprenticeship program be made in consultation with the Black community; and (4) that Goodyear select for admission to its Apprenticeship Program at least one Black for each white, if possible, until such time as the percentage of Blacks in Goodyear's craft jobs is at least 3/4 of the percentage of blacks in Goodyear's production jobs. 339 F.Supp. at 1124-1125. Similarly, in United States v. Ironworkers, Local 86. supra. the district court ordered three joint apprenticeship and training 21/ Bowman's training of class members for OTR jobs could assist it in achieving the one-to-one hiring ratio suggested as appropriate herein. See pp. 30-32 supra. 22/ Such training should be limited to that which is mandated by business necessity. See United States v. Local 3, Operating Engineers, 4 EPD U 7744 (N.D. Cal. 1972). 37 4 committees to create a special apprenticeship program designed to meet the special needs both of average blacks with no previous ex perience or special skills and of Blacks with some previous ex perience or special skills. The defendant unions and committees were further ordered to recruit a sufficient number of Blacks to comprise thirty percent membership in their apprenticeship programs. 315 F.Supp. at 1247. On its deplorable record of discrimination, Bowman should certainly be held to the less onerous program we propose here. In effect, all appellants ask is that Bowman now extend the same training advantages to Blacks as it has previously offered to literally hundreds of whites. D. The District Court Erred In Failing to Retain Juris diction and To Require Compliance Reports. Consistent with his belief that affirmative action is not required by Title VII (379a, 555a-556a), the district judge re jected appellants' specific request for reporting provisions and retained supervisory jurisdiction (73a-74a). Instead, the district court simply admonished defendants to refrain from continued dis crimination (28a). This was error. Reporting provisions and retention of jurisdiction are essential here, if the district court's injunction against Bowman is to have any probable effect. Reporting provisions and retained jurisdiction are now granted almost as a matter of course in cases where discrimina tion is found. Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express,_Inĉ ., F.Supp. 4 EPD 57753 (N.D. Ga. 1972); United States v. Central Motor 23/ it is instructive that the district court subsequently found it necessary to make the order even more specific in order to over come the effects of defendant's discriminatory practices. United States v. Ironworkers, Local 86, 5 EPD 57972 (W.D. Wash. 1972). 38 Lines, supra; United States v. Ironworkers, Local 86, supra and 5 EPD f7973 (W.D. Wash. 1972) (ordering United States to provide a monitoring attorney in order to assure compliance). Even where employers have taken affirmative steps to remedy the effects of past discrimination, the necessity for continued judicial vigilance has been repeatedly recognized. Brown v. Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co., 457 F.2d 1377, 1383 (4th Cir. 1972), cert.denied 41 LW 3253 (1972); U.S. v. IBEW. Local No. 38. 428 F.2d 144 (6th Cir. 1970); Parham v. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., 433 F.2d 421, 429 (8th Cir. 1970). In each of these instances where it appeared that the defendants1 voluntary steps might have been taken in response to the litigation, the Court of Appeals recognized that an overly hasty termination of litigation could also terminate the employer's compliance. The record in this case, in contrast to those just cited, is barren of any indication of effective voluntary remedial action on the employer's part. In this case, where the long history of overt racial discrimination continued up to the date of trial, provisions for monitoring the offender's compliance with law and the injunction are even more vital than in cases where some voluntary steps have been taken. The trial court's denial of monitoring in effect leaves assurance of defendants' compliance exclusively in the same hands that have so blatantly violated Title VII in the past — the Company's. On this record, the prospects for good-faith, effective com pliance with the law would appear speculative at best — unless this Court orders mandatory reporting provisions by which appellants and the court can hold defendants accountable to their obligations under law. This Court should so order. 39 I I . THE DISTRICT COURT MISCONSTRUED TITLE VII AND ABUSED ITS DISCRETION IN DENYING BACK PAY TO THE CLASS, DESPITE UNCONTRADICTED PROOF OF ECONOMIC INJURY SUFFERED BY THE CLASS BECAUSE OF DEFENDANTS1 DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES. The record emphatically demonstrates that the discrimina tory hiring, seniority, promotion, transfer and training practices of the defendants resulted in substantial economic harm to mem bers of the class. The jobs to which Black employees were first assigned and then locked in -- Tire Changer and Clean Up -- were the lowest paying of all jobs at Bowman's Terminal. The jobs from which they were totally excluded — in some instances until a few months before trial included all the highest paying jobs at Bowman. In particular, the OTR jobs, where Bowman's exclusionary practices were most blatant, were among the highest paying non technical positions in industry. In March, 1968, when Blacks were totally segregated into the Tire Changer and Clean Up jobs, all̂ Blacks earned considerably less than 98% ,of the white union--represented workers: \ Number Number Weekly Wage: of of PercentBlacks Whites Blacks More than $150 (Road Drivers) 0 464 0.0% $125-150 (Terminal Employees) 0 393 0.0%Less than $125 10 12 45.5% TOTAL 10 869 1.1% (4a; see also 884a) 4 0 By August, 1971, when some Blacks had been hired into pre viously all-white jobs, 45% of the Black employees (including all the class members), were still locked into the lowest paying jobs, and were earning considerably less than 99% of the white employees. Weekly Wage: More than $225 (Road Drivers) $172-210 (Terminal Employees) $175 (Terminal) TOTAL Number Number of of Percen Blacks Whites Blacks 11 499 2 .2% 13 343 2.7% 20 6 76.9% 44 848 4.9% (5a; see also 885a) These past and continuing income disparities cannot be exaplained away on grounds of qualifications or skill requirements. See p. 43 infra. Despite the obvious and severe economic loss suffered by black employees the district court arbitrarily and categorically refused to grant economic relief for any members of the class24/ except the named plaintiff and plaintiff-intervenor. The dis trict court grounded its refusal to grant back pay both in an erroneous view of the law and in an arbitrary exercise of its discretion. 24/ The district court even denied back pay to four witnesses who convincingly testified at trial to the discrimination and con sequent economic loss they had suffered. Witnesses Harbor and McLaughlin, rejected black OTR applicants, were, like Lee, evidently qualified and were rejected for racial reasons (Statement of Facts, p. 11 ), as the district court apperently found (6a ). Witnesses Clark and Williams, Black Tire Men, had, like Franks, frequently applied for promotion and been refused solely because of their race and defendants' unlawful transfer policies (323a-329a, 346a-349a, Statement of Facts, 17-18). _ 4 1 _ The district court enumerated two bases in law for denying class back pay. (A) The first basis is essentially evidentiary: the district court observed that back pay presupposes an opening, qualification, and performance, and since no evidence was presented as to these multiple conclusions no award of back pay could be 25/granted. (B) The second basis concerns EEOC procedures established by Title VII. The district court reasoned that the remedy of class back pay would bypass the statute's administrative prerequisites to personal suits, appropriate statutes of limitations, and the "emphasis on private settlement". (C) In addition, the district court denied class back pay "in the exercise of discretion"; however, the district court gave no reason for this exercise of discretion. (10a) The district court's refusal to grant relief in the form of class back pay is contrary to law and is an unwarranted exercise of discretion. / A. The Evidence As To Vacancies, Qualifications, and Per formance Is More Than Adequate To Support An Award of Back Pay. f The record demonstrates that the district court's con- clusory statement that there was no evidence of openings, quali- t fications and performance on which to base an award of back pay is simply wrong. The evidence is undisputed that there were numerous openings in both the OTR category and in other depart- 25/ The district court's assertions as to what was and was not shown in this respect seriously distort the whole record and con tradict others of its own findings. _ 42 merits at Bowman. Throughout the pertinent time period the Company- had an annual turnover rate of approximately 50% of its OTR drivers (108a-109a). Vacancies were also plentiful in the other jobs in the Dock Department and Maintenance Department from which 26 / black workers were totally excluded. Similarly, there is uncontradicted evidence that Bowman rejected dozens of qualified and experienced black OTR applicants even while it hired dozens of only partly qualified or wholly unqualified whites (Statement of Facts, p. 10 ). As to terminal workers, the qualifications and experience required of workers in the entry level jobs of the Dock Department and the Maintenance Shops were minimal and, moreover, they are exactly the same as those required for the virtually all-black job of Tire Changer (389a, 466a). Finally, it is hard to determine what the district court meant by "performance". "Performance" was never a question at Bowman since Black employees did not until recently receive any opportunity to demonstrate their skills or their ability to learn the OTR job in Bowman's training program or to perform in the entry-level jobs in the Maintenance Shops or Dock Department. 26/ From 1965-1970 Bowman filled an average of at least 33 vacancies (including 11 City Drivers) in the City Driver/Dock Department (8943).. In the same period, the company filled an average of 54 vacancies annually (including 16 Mechanics) in the Maintenance Department (894a-895a). - 43 Thus, the court's statement that class back pay may not t>e granted because there exists no evidence as to openings, quali fications, and performance is utterly inapplicable to the facts of this record. B. An Award of Class Back Pay Is Fully Consistent With The Procedural Provisions of Title VII. district court relied on its view of the procedural provision; of Title VII to deny class back pay. In effect the district court concluded that the procedural and administrative structure of Title VII, which provides employers an opportunity to conciliate claims, restricts the award of specific remedies to individuals who have filed EEOC charges and brought suit thereon (10a). Consistent with its narrow interpretation of the statutory remedies, the district court limited its consideration of relief for class members to prospective injunctive measures only. In construing Title VII's procedural provisions to preclude any affirmative class remedies, including retroactive seniority and class back pay, the district court squarely rejects this Court's considered interpretation of class actions within the sta tutory scheme of Title VII. This Court has consistently favored class actions as an inappropriate vehicle for presentation of claims for relief. Jenkins v. United Gas Corp., 400 F.2d 28 (5th Cir. 1968); Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, 417 F.2d 1122 (5th Cir. 1969). It has noted. Racial discrimination is by definition class discrimination, and to require a multiplicity of separate, identical charges before the EEOC, filed against the same employer, as a prerequisite to relief through resort to the court would tend to frustrate our system of justice and order. - 44 mt-i« v. Crown-y.ellerhach Corporation, 398 F.2d 496, 499 (1968). See also, Oiler v. International Paper Co., 408 F.2d 283, 284-285 (1969) . in short, this Court has consistently ruled that each class member need not individually exhaust EEOC remedies and suit, in order to qualify for remedial relief under Title VII. It is logically indefensible to rule, as the court below did. that a class action is maintainable, and class relief is available, for purposes of prospective injunctive relief only, but not for purposes of affirmative relief as part of the equitable remedy. As the Seventh circuit has flatly commented. "(K)e are also unable to perceive any justification for treating such a suit as a class action for injunctive purposes, but not treat it so for purposes of other relief." Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive_Co.■ 416 F.2d 711, 720 (1969). See also, Robinson v. Lorillard CorE . ■ supra at 802-804. The fallacy of the district court's rule is amply demon strated by the facts of this case. Bowman had full notice from the EEOC charges filed by appellants that its entire segregationist employment system was being challenged. There was ample oppor tunity for Bowman and the defendant unions to remedy the effects of these discriminatory policies and to engage in meaningful con ciliations with the EEOC before this suit was filed. Yet in fact 2 7 / Of course, the instant case was also brought as a class tt c r r 1981 Back pay is recoverable under that°statute, S f H y ^ e m e ^ o SxEaustin^ ^ C procedures^or Jitle VI^remedles F?td5U1044U' U Cir. 1971). cert deniecTi^u.S 9 9 8 . there was no conciliation and only the most insignificant effects at reform were undertaken prior to the filing of this suit. There is no reason to believe, given the record of pervasive dis crimination by the defendants, that these same practices might have been changed if only other members of the class had brought repetitive charges. It would therefore be purposeless at best, when previous attempts at class-wide conciliation have failed, to apply a rule of law in this case that no back pay may be given to an employee who did not file a charge with the EEOC -- especially in light of these defendants' unbending practices of overt dis crimination which continued long after the filing of EEOC charges. See State of Washington v. Baugh Construction Company, 313 F.Supp. 598, 605 (W.D. Wash. 1969). Furthermore, Congress realized that potential complainants might hesitate to file charges with the EEOC because they feared the loss of their jobs. Therefore, Congress provided in Title VII that a Commissioner may file a charge without any individual complainants being named. §706 (b),(f), 42 U.S.C. 2000e-5 (b),(f) . A member of the class affected by the discrimination alleged by the Commissioner may then seek judicial relief. The courts, and particularly this Court, have also been cognizant of the hesitancy that many workers may have in filing EEOC charges; con sequently the courts have developed a judicial principle to im plement fully the strong public policy of Title VII. A Title VII plaintiff assumes a public interest and the "mantle of the sovereign" when he sues to end racial discrimination on behalf 4 6 of all similarly situated employees. And the facts of this action demonstrate that Congressional and judicial concern over the reluctance of black workers to file charges with the EEOC is fully 287warranted. Under the district court's reasoning a company that success fully intimidates its workers from filing charges with the EEOC would be rewarded by escaping liability for substantial back pay. It is unrealistic to expect all the other Black employees at Bowman to endanger their job-security by filing charges with the EEOC. And it is unfair to penalize such workers for their caution, which directly resulted from Bowman's discriminatory practices, by depriving them of any redress for their undeniable economic loss. C. The District Court Abused Its Discretion By Arbitrarily Denying Class Back Pay . The district court also denied class back pay in the ex ercise of its discretion. The court advanced no reasons for this exercise of its discretion (10a). By couching the denial of class back pay in terms of discretion, the district court may not auto matically afford validity to the court's evidentiary and proce dural rationales for denying class back pay - especially since those rationales are themselves erroneous. See parts A, B, supra. 28/ Both appellants were fired without cause. They were the only individuals who ever filed EEOC charges against Bowman, a fact which could not have been lost on other Bowman employees. In actuality, the district court obviously did not base the exercise of its discretion on the facts of this action, but rather on the court's belief that "such relief is not warranted in class actions" (10a). Cf. United States v. Georgia Power Co., F.Supp. (W.D. Ga. 1971), on appeal Nos. 71-3447,-3293. This per se rule denying class back pay is contrary to the es tablished rule of this Circuit and of other Circuits. United States v. Hayes International Corp., 456 F.2d 112, 121 (5th Cir. 1972); Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, supra at 1125; Robinson v. Lorillard Corp., supra at 802-804; Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., supra at 720; Sprogis v. United Air Lines, Inc., 444 F.2d 1191 (7th Cir. 1971), cert denied 30 L.Ed.2d 543 (1971); see United States v. Wood, Wire and Metal Lathers Int. U. Local 46, 328 F. supp. 429, 441 (S.D.N.Y. 1971). Moreover, the discretion of the district court may not be capriciously utilized, as it was below. A district court's dis cretion in a Title VII action must be exercised "with an eye to the purpose of the Act," United States v. Hayes International Corp., 415 F.2d 1038, 1044 (5th Cir. 1969). The Seventh Circuit has clearly articulated that purpose: i The clear purpose of Title VII is to bring an end to the proscribed discriminatory practices, and to make whole, in a pecuniary fashion, those who have suffered by it. To permit only injunctive relief in the class action would frustrate the implementation of the strong Congressional purpose expressed in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bowe v. Colgate-Palmolive Co., supra at 720, cited with approval by the Fourth Circuit in Robinson, supra at 802. The Bowe court 4 8 went on to say of the statutory authority to award back pay: This grant of authority should be broadly read and applied so as to effectively ter minate the practice and make its victims whole . . . The full remedial powers of the Court must be brought to bear and all appro priate relief given. 416 F.2d at 721. The purpose of Title VII is therefore served in two prin cipal ways by an award of class back pay. First, individual vic tims of discrimination are made economically whole, as "an integral part of the statutory equitable remedy". Johnson v. Georgia Highway Express, Inc., supra at 1125; Robinson v. Lorillard Corp., supra at 802. Indeed, in many cases like this one no relief other than back pay can even partially remedy the injuries suffered dur- 29/ ing long years of unlawful discrimination. The second purpose of the class back pay remedy is to make Title VII effective as a public policy against discriminatory employment practices. It is, of course, "the duty of the courts to make sure that the Act works" to eradicate this intolerable form of discrimination, Culpepper v. Reynolds Metals Co., 421 F .2d 888, 891 (5th Cir. 1970), and the availability of class back pay is necessary to make Title VII work. 29/ It is noteworthy that this Court rejected "freedom now" seniority relief on the policy grounds that white workers should not be bumped out of a job, even by senior black workers who had been discriminated against. Local 189 v. United States, supra at 988-898. Rather, this Court there allowed black workers to bid up to their "rightful place" on the basis of a non-discrimi- natory seniority only when there is a vacancy. This "rightful place" theory was chosen even though the court recognized that black workers would not in the foreseeable future be made whole with respect to their work experience, occupational status, or training. Id. Black workers should not be forced to endure economic loss as well as inferior occupational status. - 4 9 - Only if discriminatory employers and unions know that they will be exposed to an obligation to compensate minority workers for the substantial economic loss that their discriminatory practices have caused will such lawbreakers have a strong incentive to comply voluntarily with Title VII. This is not a theoretical or hypothetical observation, but rather is clearly illustrated by this action. The past and present practices of Bowman are as blatantly discriminatory as any this Court is likely to encounter. Bowman's discrimination was con scious and deliberate, and Bowman's discrimination has been made all the more intolerable by its steadfast refusal to change "as long as [it] could". Bowman doubtless felt safe in its assumption that when eventually caught, as it was by the district court below, its liability would not exceed a paltry sum. This Court should refuse to vindicate that expectation. To sustain the district court here would be to tell discriminatory employers openly that their tactics of delay and evasion of federal law will cost them 30/little more than their own lawyers' fees. Moreover, affirmance would mean that resultant economic loss from discrimination will be fully borne by the victims rather than the perpetrators of the 31/wrongdoing. 30/ Cf. Mitchell v. Robert de Mario Jewelry, Inc., 361 U.S. 288 (1960), rev'ing 260 F.2d 929 (5th Cir. 1958). Compare in part icular 260 F.2d at 930, 934-935 with 361 U.S. at 296 (dictum). 31/ Appellants do not suggest that back pay be used to penalize discriminatory employers. As the Fourth Circuit has stated, "[B]ack pay is not a penalty imposed as a sanction for moral tur pitude; it is compensation for the tangible economic loss resulting from an unlawful employment practice. Under Title VII the plaintiff class is entitled to compensation for that loss." Robinson v. Lorillard Corp., supra at 804. 50 On this record, this Court should conclude that the district court misconstrued applicable law and abused its dis cretion in denying class back pay. Moreover, this Court should direct that back pay should be awarded, and remand to the dis trict court for determination of appropriate procedures for determining class members' entitlements. Appellants suggested such procedures to the district court in their Proposed Advisory Decree (72a-73a). These procedures take note of the somewhat different positions occupied by incumbent employees and rejected applicants. We again suggest that this outline would be both workable and fair to all the parties. 51 I I I . THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT PLAINTIFF FRANKS' CLAIMS WERE BARRED FOR FAILURE TO FILE SUIT IN A TIMELY MANNER. The trial court found that the failure to file suit within 30 days of issuance of the first suit letter (March 21, 1969) barred the claims of the plaintiff for relief, and granted him nothing (16a). This ruling followed the court's finding of racial discrimination (retaliatory discharge) by the defendant against the plaintiff, and its finding that, but for this bar, plaintiff Franks would be entitled to a back pay award in excess of $5,000 (13a) . This ruling was in error with regard to both of plaintiff's causes of action under 42 U.S.C. §1981 and Title VII. A. The Statute of Limitation Applicable to Plaintiff's Cause of Action Under 42 U.S.C. §1981 Had Not Run When This Action Was Filed. (1) Any Applicable Statute of Limitation was Tolled by the Plaintiff’s Filing Charges With the EEOC. After disposing of plaintiff's Title VII claim (see part B, infra), the district court summarily held plaintiff's claim 32/under U.s.C. §1983 to be barred by a two-year statute of limi tations (17a). Plaintiff disputes that the court applied the correct limitations statute, infra; but initially contends that, whatever the applicable statute, such statute was tolled when, 32/ It is not clear whether the lower court’s reference to §1983 rather than §1981 was inadvertent. In any case, the complaint (35a) alleged, and the plaintiff has proved, violation of §1981, which gives rise to an independent cause of action for private employ ment discrimination. Caldwell v. National Brewing Co., supra; Sanders v. Dobbs Houses, Inc., 431 F.2d 1097 (5th Cir. 1970)/ cert.denied 401 U.S. 948 (1971). Further reference will be to §1981 52 three days after his §1981 cause of action for discriminatory discharge arose, plaintiff sought relief by filing his EEOC charge. Boudreaux v. Baton Rouge Marine Contracting Co., 437 F.2d 1011, 1017 n.16 (5th Cir. 1971); Guerra v. Manchester Terminal Corp., 4 EPD f7874 (S.D. Tex. 1972); Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra at 1118; Reynolds v. Daily Press, Inc., 5 FEP Cases 4 (E.D. Va. 1972). This holding is required by application of the time-honored principle that statutes of limitation ought not be invoked against those who actively assert their rights. See Culpepper v. Reynolds Metal Co., 421 F.2d 888, 892 (5th Cir. 1970); Burnett v. New York Central R. Co., 380 U.S. 424 (1965). An analogous situation is presented when the limitations period under Title VII is tolled by pursuit of contractual grievance rights. Culpepper v. Reynolds Metals Co., supra at 891; Hutchings v. U.S. Industries, Inc., 428 F.2d 303, 309 (5th Cir. 1970). The EEOC process here went on from May 13, 1968 until plaintiff first received notification of his right to sue on April 14, 1971 (908a). His unlawful discharge occurred on May 10, 1968 and he filed suit under §1981 on May 13, 1971 (31a). Giving full tolling for the period of the EEOC proceedings,» Buckner v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra, the §1981 statute ll/of limitations ran for a total of 24 days. Under no conceivable statute could plaintiff's §1981 claim be barred. 33 / Even if the Court were to decide that the EEOC proceedings terminated with the issuance of the first suit letter on March 21, 1969, the statute on §1981 ran for a total of two years, two months, still well within the applicable statute of limitations. See part A (2), infra. 53 (2) The Action Was Timely Filed Within The Properly Applicable Four Year Statute of Limitation . The trial court, in adopting Ga. Code Ann. §3-704 as con taining the applicable limitations period, see 42 U.S.C. §1988, Beard v. Stephens, 372 F.2d 685 (5th Cir. 1967), analogized plaintiff's employment discrimination claim under §1981 to the wrong state statute. This Court has held that the method for determining the analogous state remedial statute is governed by a strong policy of remedial liberality. In civil rights cases, federal courts should use that combination of federal law, common law and state law as will be best adapted to the object of the civil rights law and must use common law powers to facilitate and not to hinder proceed ings in vindication of civil rights. 42 U.S.C. §1988. Brown v. City of Meridian, 356 F.2d 602, 605 (5th Cir. 1966). Accord, T.efton v. City of Hattiesburg, 333 F.2d 280 (5th Cir. 1964); Brazier v. Cherry, 293 F.2d 401, 408, 409 (5th Cir. 1961). The court below abused this principle of liberality in the selection of the appropriate Georgia statute by choosing an inappropriate and unduly restrictive state model, the two-year clause of §3-704. 34J Ga. Code Ann §3-704, pertinent part: cited by the lower court, reads in . Provided, however, . . . that all such suits for recovery of wages, overtime or damages and penalties accruing under laws respecting the payment of wages and overtime . . . shall be brought within two years after the right of action shall have accrued, (emphasis added) 54 That wages and overtime statute is obviously not analogous to 42 U S C §1981, which is a broad equal rights statute prohibiting 2 h Jracial discrimination in the making and enforcing of contracts. While back pay is a proper remedy under §1981, it is only one of several remedies which may be fashioned. Lazard v. Boeing Co., 322 F.Supp. 343, 345 (E.D. La. 1971). The more appropriate analogy to §1981 is the state statute of limitations governing contract claims. Boudreaux v. Baton Rouae Marine Contracting Co., supra ("It is, after all, the rights to 'make and enforce contracts' which is protected by §1981"); Green v. McDonnell-Douglas Corp. , 463 F.2d 337, 340 (8th Cir. 1972) ; Lazard v. Boeing Co., supra. There are two possible applicable Georgia limitations . .statutes. Ga. Code Ann §3-706 provides a four-year limita- 37/ tions period for breach of oral contracts. Ga. Code Ann. §3-711 25/ 42 U.S.C. §1981 provides in pertinent part: "All persons . . . shall have the same right . . . to make and enforce contracts . . . as is enjoyed by white citizens. 36/ Ga. Code Ann. §3-706 provides in pertinent part: "All actions . . . for the breach of any contract not under the hand of the party sought to be charged . . shall be brought within four years after the right of action shall have accrued." 37/ Ga. Code Ann. §3-711 provides: "All other actions upon contracts expressed or implied, not hereinbefore provided for, shall be brought with in four years from the accrual of the right of action. 55 provides an identical four-year period for contracts "not here inbefore provided for". No matter which of these contract action statutes the Court decides is more appropriate, the correct limitations period is four years. since the plaintiff filed his suit under §1981 within four years, his claims for relief are not barred by any statute of limitations. Plaintiff FH e<3 Timely Suit Under Title VII Within Thirty Days After Receipt of a Valid Suit Letter, The First He Had Received. (1) The 30-Day Limitations Period Runs From The Time The Complainant Receives Statutory Notice From The EEOC. The trial court found that plaintiff's individual claims should be barred "by failure to file within 30 days of the .issuance of the suit letter of March 21, 1969" (16a) (emphasis added). This statement is incorrect as a matter of law. in this and other circuits, it is issuance and receipt of such notice _ and not issuance alone -- which triggers the 30-day limitations period of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. §2000e-5(e) (before amendment in 1912) • Millg; v. International Paper Co.. 408 F.2d 283 (5th Cir. 1969); Beverly v. Lone Star Lead Constr. Corp.. 437 F.2d 1136, 1140 (5th Cir. 1971); Dent v. St, Louis-San Frann-i Railway Co., 406 F.2d 399, 403 (5th Cir.1969); Cunningham v . Litton industries, 413 F.2d 887, 890 (9th Cir. 1970); Goodman v. City Products Corp., 425 F.2d 702, 703 (6th Cir. 1970). Jg/ A hypothetical situation discussed by this Court in Miller indicates that it clearly required both issuance and receipt before the limitations period ran. 408 F.2d at 285-286 56 The lower court apparently recognized the importance of receipt of notice by the complainant, but found that mailing it to his usual mailing address was sufficient (16a). Under this form ulation, the suit letter could have been lost by postal authorities or stolen from the mail and the complainant would still have been penalized by the bar of the limitations period. Such a result would of course be unjust; yet from Franks's point of view, the first letter might just as well have been lost or stolen. In this situation, actual receipt should be required to trigger the limitations period. The limitations bar should only he applied to those who sleep on their rights. Culpepper_ Reynolds Metals Co., supra. One who, in fact, does not have notice of his rights can hardly be found to have slept on them. It would have taken a small amount of effort by the EEOC to in- gujg actual receipt — simply by marking suit letters Deliver to Addressee Only" on the appropriate postal form (945a), 39 C.F.R. §161.4 (e) (1) — and the plaintiff should not be so heavily penalized for the agency's failure to do so. Nor should he be penalized for the mistake of a young child. There was no "receipt" here. (2) The Second Suit Letter Was Valid Basis For Plaintiff’s Title VII Action. When it accepted Plaintiff's amended charges on March 2 and 5 1971, and issued Plaintiff a second suit letter on April39 / 4, 1971, EEOC acted in conformance with its regulations and 39/ EEOC Regulations allow amendment of charges to cure technical defects. Such amendments relate back to the filing of the original charges. 29 C.F.R. §160.11. 57 exercised its statutory authority to grant charging parties authority to file suit under Title VII. The court below erred in refusing to accept the validity of that authorization. By looking behind the issuance and receipt of the second suit letter (16a), the district court failed to heed the "venerable principle that the construction of a statute by those charged with its execution should be followed unless there are compelling indications that it is wrong Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. FCC ̂, 395 U.S. 367, 381 (1969); of Communication of the Unit_ed_Church of Christ v. JFCC, F.2d (D.C. Cir . March 28, 1972), Slip op. at 10; Rl1d n Ps. F.m-ndves' Move for Vietnam Peace v. FCĈ ., 450 F.2d 642, 649 (D.C. Cir. 1971). In the realm of Title VII, the Supreme Court has twice suggested judicial deference to EEOC's interpretation of its own procedures and statutory duties. Love v. Pullman Co., 404 U.S. 522 (1972); Griggs v._Duke Power Co., 401 U.S. 424, 434 (1971). This Court has also questioned thet, wisdom of looking behind EEOC's own procedural interpretations, Boudreaux vii Baton Rouge Marine Contracting Corp., supra, at 1014 V' 1n. 6 . , | This suit was timely filed after receipt of a valid right i to-sue letter based on valid charges. The district court erred •* >" in looking farther and depriving plaintiff of any remedy. C. There Was No Legitimate Equitable Reason To Bar Plaintiff's Claims and Equity Strongly Demands Their Allowance. The district court's ruling on the limitations issue appears founded in the misguided notion that Bowman would be 58 unfairly prejudiced unless plaintiff's causes of action were held time-barred. The court reasoned that Bowman would have been deprived of opportunity to settle or mitigate damages if plaintiff could now recover (16a). This view of the equities, whatever its theoretical merits, bears no relation to the reality of this case. In light of the entire record, to suggest that this defendant would have yielded one inch or one penny to Harold Franks, without being compelled to do so by a federal court, is absurd. Likewise, the idea that Bowman had any interest in achieving early resolution of the Franks claim is purely aqJhypothetical here. The plaintiff's case is one in which the interest of justice will be very poorly served should this Court affirm the lower court's denial of relief to Harold Franks. That court found the defendant guilty of long and widespread racial discrimination; found that plaintiff Franks was more than once an object of these illegal practices; and yet found that due to the mistake of a child, which was injected into this suit as a last-minute tech nicality, plaintiff could have no remedy. Equity demands that this Court give plaintiff hiis due in the form of back pay. See Burnett v. New York Central Railroad Co., supra. 40/ In addition to the overwhelming record of discrimination and retaliation, the fact is that Bowman contributed to the delay: although Bowman received notice from the EEOC that Franks was issued a suit letter in March, 1969 (970a-971a), it waited until the final moments of the three—day trial (814a—815a), one year after the filing of suit, to raise the claim that suit had not been timely filed. That defense was entirely omitted from the pleading stage, including defendants' answers (821a, 40a,44a).We would also note that Bowman's counsel specifically stated that his belated motion to dismiss did not concern Franks' dis charge claim (821a, 831a). The court nevertheless dismissed precisely that claim. 59 IV. THE DISTRICT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO CREDIT LEE'S ARBITRATION AWARD AND IN FINDING NO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION IN HIS DISCHARGE. A. The Significance of Lee's Successful Arbitration. Lee's discharge raises once again the question of the proper relationship of arbitration awards to Title VII rights and remedies against discrimination. Past decisions of this and sister courts hold that a plaintiff's pursuit of arbitration remedies does not diminish the ability and duty of federal courts to vindicate equal employment rights under Title VII. See Hutchings v. U.S. Industries, Inc, supra; Culpepper v. Reynolds Metals Co., supra; and Tipler v. E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co., 443 F.2d 125 (6th Cir. 1971). This is not to say that courts must, or should, ignore the presence of arbitration awards. Rios v. Reynolds Metals Co.. F.2d , 5 EPD f7980, (5th Cir. No. 71-2681, September 20, 1972), teaches that Title VII rights and tremedies do not exist to the exclusion of arbitration procedures. Instead, the relationship is one of co-existence; and while the i courts stand as the final guardian of Title VII rights, in proper . Acases they may defer to fairly achieved arbitration awards. In no sense are district courts automatically to disregard the find ings and results of arbitration decisions bearing on Title VII rights. The court below misunderstood the lesson of Rios and com mitted unequivocal and forthright error in this regard by com pletely ignoring the result of Lee's earlier arbitration award. 60 The lower court found that "[t]he court is not bound by the arbi tration award in any way. The theory adopted in this Circuit is that contractual grievance procedures are independent of all rights under the Act and the two may proceed concurrently without either affecting the other on the merits". (22a) The district court's erroneous view of the law enabled it to consider afresh all facts surrounding Lee's discharge and then to conclude that the discharge was not racially motivated. When the correct legal significance 4l/is ascribed to the arbitration decision, then the no-discrimination finding of the lower court becomes clearly erroneous under Rule 52(a), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. (See Part B, infra.) We do not contend here that the arbitration decision was res judicata upon all issues before the district court. The over lap in the areas before the district court and the arbitrator did not include discrimination, because of the complete absence of a discrimination provision in the collective bargaining agreement (299a Of necessity, the district court was required to decide the question of discrimination for the first time. However, the district court should have deferred to the arbitration award on the question of whether Lee was discharged "for cause". At trial Lee insisted on this position and argued that the only question before the court was that of racial animus in his "no cause" discharge (213a-214a). 41/ See e.g., the "Steelworkers Trilogy": United Steelworkers of America (Steelworkers) v. American Mfrg. Co.. 363 U.S. 564 (1960); Steelworkers v. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co., 363 U.S. 574 (1960); Steelworkers v. Enterprise Wheel & Car Corp.. 363 U.S. 593 (1960). 61 B. The Evidence Supports Lee's Claim of Discrimination. The arbitrator's "no cause" finding accords with the narrative and statistical picture set forth supra showing racial discrimination against Lee. "Figures, speak, and when they do courts listen". Brooks v. Beto, 366 F.2d 1, 9 (5th Cir. 1966), cert, denied. 386 U.S. 975 (1967). Lee was not only the first employee to grieve his discharge for fuel pump alteration, but also the only employee at the time of trial who had ever obtained a "no-cause" arbitration award (660a). Lee's discharge is thus clearly distinguishable from any other termination for the same alleged "cause". Even among the almost 30 white employees discharged for this reason, both before and after Lee, a vast majority were either permitted to resign and had admitted the alteration as charged, or had previously received numerous warnings. Bowman's Assistant Safety Director for the Atlanta Terminal testified that he knew 42/of no exception to this pattern (Tr. 730). (Lee's case, of course, was an exception in both respects.) If discharges of this variety only since 1970 are considered, an even stronger picture emerges. Of these 12 most recent discharges, only Lee and one other employee (Evans) were terminated without either admitting complicity or knowledge, or having received numerous prior warnings (927a-943a, 798a-805a). v 42 / The testimony of Joe A. Gore, Assistant Safety Director, on this point was as follows: Q: What are the names of employees who were discharged who had not had another offense and did not admit [to altering a fuel pump]? A: No one else, they just happen to have other offenses committed. (805a-806a) 62 The statistics are not alone in pointing to race as the sole motivation behind Lee's discharge. The presence of per vasive discrimination throughout Bowman's operations has already been noted (Statement of Facts )• The pattern of discrimination was nowhere more extreme than in Bowman's treatment of Black applicants and (later) employees in the road driver category (Statement of Facts pp. 8-12), where Bowman adopted its white employees' prejudices as its own. At the time of Lee's termina tion, Bowman still refused as a matter of policy to employ Black road drivers at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Richmond (ll9a-120a). Even after adding Blacks to its road driver force in Birmingham after 1970, Bowman continued to respect these prejudices by differentiating its Black drivers for special, less favored treat ment (117a-118a, 248a, 654a, 672a-673a). And Intervenor Lee, both before and after his hiring, was a prime target of Bowman's discriminatory practices. Statement of Facts, pp. 22-23. Despite well-documented past and present racial hostilities in its white work force, Bowman continued to use a termination policy that invited misuse and discriminatory application by white employees (Statement of Facts, pp. 23-24). The lower court was troubled by the fact that Lee could introduce no direct proof of racial discrimination motivating his discharge, and apparently 41/based his opinion on this fact. 43 / "As to [Lee's discharge], the court is asked to assume with no proof whatsoever that Lee's unit was 'doctored' by other em ployees with racial motivation and, more importantly, to assume that the first assumption was caused by racial motivation on the part of management. This the court cannot do. Consequently, no award is made for any period of time subsequent to March 18, 1971." (22a) 63 Yet the procedure with which Lee was confronted made such proof all but impossible. And more significantly, Bowman itself could present neither direct testimony of Lee's involvement nor statisti cal support for its contention that whites had received the same treatment as Lee. In fact no white employee had ever been dis charged "without cause" for fuel pump alteration. The absence of any proper motive points convincingly to the presence of imper missible motives. Fluker v. Alabama State Board of Education. 441 F .2d 201, 209 (5th Cir. 1971). The situation here is closely comparable to that in Marquez v. Omaha District Sales Office, Ford Division, 440 F.2d 1157 (8th Cir. 1971). There, after sum marizing a history and background of disparate treatment similar to the backdrop of Lee's claim, the court wrote, Racial discrimination will seldom be admitted by any employer. Documentary evidence rela ting to an employee's nonpromotional status serves to corroborate a claim of racial dis crimination. This evidence becomes particu larly significant when no rational reason is offered to rebut the telling inference other wise established. 440 F.2d at 1162. Cf. Green v. McDonnell-Douglas Corporation, supra at 343-344 (discharge case). Racial discrimination is the only conclusion possible here where statistical evidence, past discrimination (against Lee him self as well as other Black drivers), and standardless procedures combine and where no non-racial cause can be demonstrated. Brown v. Gaston County Dyeing Machine Co., supra at 1382-1383. This is also the precise lesson of Rowe v. General Motors Corp., supra, where this Court said: 6 4 . . . procedures which depend almost entirely upon the subjective evaluation and favorable recommendation of the immediate foreman are a ready mechanism for discrimination against Blacks much of which can be covertly concealed and, for that matter, not really known to management. We and others have expressed a skepticism that Black persons dependent directly on decisive recom mentations from Whites can expect non-discrimi- natory action. 457 F.2d at 359. Bowman, not Lee, had power to prevent the potential abuses of an automatic termination policy where racial foul play was a distinct possibility. Nothing suggests that this policy was accidental. Moreover, Bowman was fully aware of the virulent racial prejudice possessed by its white employees (248a, 654a). Lee's termination procedure may have had the appearance of neutrality, but the record in this case shows overwhelmingly and without exception that it resulted in discrimination. Bowman must bear responsibility for the discriminatory effects of this procedure. Rowe v. General Motors Corp., supra; Griggs v. Duke Power Co., supra at 431-432. 65 I C O N C L U S I O N For the reasons set forth above, this Court should reverse the judgment of the court below and remand with in structions to enter a decree providing full and effective relief to appellants and members of the class they represent. Such relief should specifically include: (1) the use of full company seniority by class members who are now employed, and retroactive seniority for class members who are rejected appli cants and are later hired; (2) an affirmative program for hiring Black road drivers on a ratio as suggested herein, and for re cruitment of Black applicants for office/clerical positions; (3) a training program to assist Blacks in entering jobs from tfiich they have been excluded; (4) provision for retained juris diction and reporting by defendants; (5) an order that back pay may be granted to class members, and proceedings to determine the amounts and distribution thereof; (6) an award of back pay to plaintiff Franks in the net amount he lost due to the denial of promotion or transfer and his discharge; (7) an award of « l V - 6 6 - back pay to Intervenor Lee in the net amount he lost due to his discharge. Respectfully submitted, Htpms , l- ̂ HOWARD MOORE JR. ELIZABETH R. RINDSKOPF75 Piedmont Avenue, N.E. Suite 1154Atlanta, Georgia 30303 JACK GREENBERG WILLIAM L. ROBINSON MORRIS J. BALLER BARRY L. GOLDSTEIN10 Columbus Circle Suite 2030New York, New York 10019 Attorneys for Appellants* * Appellants1 attorneys acknowledge with appreciation the dedicated and competent assistance of Peter Bienstock, a third year student at the Law School of New York University, in the preparation of the trial in this case and of this brief. 67 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE The undersigned attorney for Plaintiff Appellant and Intervenor-Appellant hereby certifies that he served two copies of Appellants' Brief on Appeal and one copy of Appellants' Appendix on counsel for Defendants, William Pate, Esq. and Robert B. Hocutt, Esq., at their office addresses by placing copies of these documents in the United States mail, postage prepaid, this 29th day of November, 1972. and lntervenor-Apfc>ellant