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Brief Collection, LDF Court Filings. Robinson v Montgomery Ward & Company Inc Respondents Brief in Opposition, 1987. 72c72cab-c29a-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/73400919-6910-4d8f-a9f4-a234da47ece4/robinson-v-montgomery-ward-company-inc-respondents-brief-in-opposition. Accessed July 19, 2025.
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No. 87-801 In the mprerne (Etmrt erf tip? States? October Term, 1987 Hazel Robinson, Petitioner, vs. Montgomery Ward & Company, Inc., Respondent. On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit RESPONDENT’S BRIEF IN OPPOSITION Randel E. Phillips* Hayden J. Silver, III Margaret A. Behringer Moore & Van A llen 3000 NCNB Plaza Charlotte, N.C. 28280 (704) 331-1000 Attorneys for Respondent *Counsel of Record December 1987 QUESTIONS PRESENTED 1. Whether dismissal of a plain tiff's employment discrimination claims under Title VII and § 1981 was proper where plaintiff's purported "direct" evidence was not connected to the plain tiff or to an employment decision involv ing the plaintiff and the circumstantial evidence failed to support a reasonable inference of discriminatory intent? 2. Whether a plaintiff who seeks to avail herself of the indirect method of proof set forth in McDonnell Douglas v. Green failed to make out a prima facie case where, by her own admission, she did not apply and was not equally qualified for the job? TABLE OF CONTENTS RESTATEMENT OF QUESTIONS PRESENTED . .................. ....... i TABLE OF CONTENTS ..... ii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ........... iv STATEMENT OF THE CASE .............. 1 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ................ 11 ARGUMENT ............................ 13 I. THE FOURTH CIRCUIT PROPERLY CONCLUDED THAT PETITIONER HAD FAILED TO ESTABLISH A PRIMA FACIE CASE ..............13 A. Petitioner was not equally qualified. ....... 19 B. Petitioner chose not to apply for promotion........22 C . There was no evidence that Montgomery Ward sought applicants with qualifications equal to petitioner' s ...... . ... 27 D . Petitioner did not introduce any evidence of pretext as to Montgomery Ward's decision to train McManus instead of petitioner 28 E. Petitioner's "Direct Evidence" of Discrim ination was Insuffi cient to Establish a Prima Facie Case........33 II. CERTIORARI IS INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE THIS CASE PRESENTS QUESTIONS OF EVIDENCE RATHER THAN ANY ISSUES OF LEGAL PRINCIPLE ............... 38 III. THERE IS NO "PATTERN OF IMPROPER USURPATION" BY THE FOURTH CIRCUIT ............ 42 CONCLUSION ..........................51 APPENDIX Excerpts from Trial Transcript .... 1A Testimony of John Hunt ....... 1A Testimony of Joe Matthews ....10A Testimony of Sue Mack ....... 10A Testimony of Hazel Robinson ..13A Excerpts from Lytle v. Household Manufacturing, Inc. ......... . 2 4A Robinson's January 11, 1984 job evaluation .................... 31A Robinson's May 9, 1984 job evaluation .................... 33A iii - TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Cases: Page Babrocky v. Jewel Food Co. , 773 F .2d 857 (7th Cir. 1985) ..... 24 Box v. A & P Tea Co., 772 F.2d 1372 (7th Cir. 1985), cert. denied, 106 S. Ct. 3311 (1986) .... 25 Brady v. Southern Railroad, 320 U.S. 476 (1943) .... .......... 43 Bundy v. Jackson, 641 F.2d 934 (D.C. Cir. 1981) ........... . . 23 Clarke v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 731~F.2d 698 "(10th Cir. 1984) .................. 20 Crawford v. U.S. Steel Corp., 660 F .2d 663 (5th Cir. 1981) ...... 22 Easley v. Empire, Inc., 757 F . 2d 923 (8th Cir. 1985) ........ 24 Fernandez v. Wynn Oil Co., 653 F .2d 1273 (9th“cir. 1981) .... 21 Foster v. Tandy, 828 F.2d 1052 (4th Cir. 1987) ................... 49-50 Freeman v. Lewis, 675 F.2d 398 (D.C. Cir. 1982) 22,25 Gifford v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 685 F.2d 1149 (9th Cir. 1982) ................... 23 Graver Tank & Manufacturing Co. v. Linde Air Products Co., 336 U.S. 271 (1949) ............... 38-39 iv Holmes v. Bevilacqua, 794 F .2d 142 (4th Cir. 1986) (en banc) ..... 45 International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324 (1977) .............. 16 Jamerson v. Board of Trustees, 662 F .2d 320 (5th Cir. 1981) ..... 19 Lytle v. Household Manufacturing Co., No. 86-1097, Slip op. (4th Cir., October 20, 1987) ..... 50-51 McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973) ............... 12,14- 19,27, 33,39, 46,48 Miles v. MNC Corp., 750 F.2d 867 (11th Cir. 1985) ............. 37 Moore v. City of Charlotte, 754 F .2d 1100 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 105 S. Ct. 3489 (1985) ....47-48 Pacheco v. Advertisers Litho graphing, Inc., 657 F.2d 191 (8th Cir. 1981) ............ ...... 19 Packing House & Industrial Services, Inc, v. NLRB, 590 F.2d 688 (8th Cir. 1978)~ .............. 23 Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 805 F.2d 1143 (4th Cir.), cert, granted, 108 S. Ct. 65 (1987) ............................ 20-21, 44 v - Pick Manufacturing Co. v. General Motors Corporation, 299 U .S. 3 (1936) ............................ 38 Pullman -Standard v. Swint, 456 U.“s7 273 (1982) . .............. 43 Ramsey v. American Air Filter Co., 772 F .2d 1303 (7th Cir. 1985) ..............................30-32 Scott v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 798 F.2d 210 (7th Cir. 1986) ..... 20 Texas Dept, of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248 (1981) ...15-16, 21,30 United States v. Johnston, 268 U.S. 220 (1925) .......... 38 Statutes and Rules: 42 U. S.C. § 1981 ........... -.....2,11, 14,19, 25,44, 49-50 Supreme Court Rule 17.1(a) 42 vi No. 87-801 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER TERM, 1987 HAZEL ROBINSON, Petitioner, vs. MONTGOMERY WARD & COMPANY, INC., Respondent. RESPONDENT'S BRIEF IN OPPOSITION TO PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI STATEMENT OF THE CASE This individual employment discrimi nation action against Montgomery Ward & Company, Inc. ̂ alleges violations of 1 Montgomery Ward is a who11y owned subsidiary of Marcor, Inc., which is 1 Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1981 arising from its decision to promote a white female, instead of the petitioner, to a Dispatcher position. The case was tried to the district court, Potter, C. J., on petitioner's Title VII claims and to a jury on her § 1981 claims. The case is unusual in that peti tioner called as one of her witnesses, John Hunt, Montgomery Ward's terminal manager, who explained the reasons for his decision to promote someone other than petitioner. Thus, at the close of the petitioner's evidence, the district court had before it not only petitioner's evidence, but Montgomery Ward's explana tion for its actions. wholly owned by Mobil Corporation. Montgomery Ward has no subsidiaries other than wholly owned subsidiaries. 2 Uncontradicted and unimpeached evidence introduced at trial established the following facts: Petitioner was employed by Montgomery Ward & Company, Inc. ( Mont gomery Ward") at its distribution facili ty in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before May 1983 more than 50 employees worked in the facility. In a restructuring of the operations many employees were laid off or transferred, categories of jobs were eliminated, and other jobs were combined. (T. 15; 41; 42) By fall of 1983, only five employees remained: the terminal manager, computer operator, a secretary or dispatch clerk and two key punch operators. (T. 14) John Hunt was the terminal manager. The petitioner, Hazel Robinson, was the computer operator. Hunt decided to cross-train the five office employees because the office was now small and each 3 job position was specialized. (Res. App. 1A-2A; T. 25-27) Cross-training was intended to reduce hours and to equip the employees to do one another's jobs so that the terminal office would not be affected when one person could not come to work. (Id.) In December 1983, Robinson asked Hunt if she could be trained to perform the duties of a traffic clerk and dis patcher. (Pet. App. 66a-67a) Hunt agreed, and stated that all employees should be cross-trained, (T. 26) Robinson was the only employee, however, thoroughly familiar with all aspects of operating the office computer. (Res. App. 18A) Thus her expertise as a computer operator was particularly critical to the day-to-day office opera tion. (Res. App. 17A-20A) For this reason, Hunt asked petitioner first to cross-train other employees on the 4 computer. (Res. App. 3A-4A; 31A) Then she would receive training as a dispatch er and traffic clerk. (Res. App. 31A) According to petitioner's January 1984 employee evaluation, petitioner s job objectives were specifically stated to include training other employees on the computer, as well as learning the job responsibilities of a dispatcher and traffic clerk. (Res. App. 3A-4A) In early 1984, Joe Matthews held the position of dispatcher. (T. 40) Peti tioner began to train Matthews and others on the computer, and another employee, Donna McManus, began to train as a dispatcher and traffic clerk. (T. 41) In March 1984 Matthews resigned. (T. 40) Sue Mack, the traffic clerk, resigned a day later. (Id.) When Matthews re signed, McManus had been performing the dispatcher's duties. (Res. App. 13A-15A; T. 175-77) Since petitioner had only 5 cross-trained Matthews, petitioner remained the only person capable of operating all of the computer functions, and McManus was the only person with significant training as a dispatcher. At the time of Matthews' departure, petitioner had performed only one of the four tasks regularly performed by the dispatch clerk, and then only two or three times. (T. 170) McManus, however, had done all but one of the dispatch clerk tasks. (Res. App. 15A-16A) The petitioner herself candidly admitted that McManus was more qualified than she as a dispatcher: Q. You admit, do you not, that at the time Mr. Matthews left, Ms. McManus was more qualified to do the job functions listed on Exhibit 7 [dispatcher job description] than you were? A. Yes. (Res. App. 22A) 6 Petitioner testified that, when Matthews and Mack resigned, Hunt told her that "he wasn't going to fill [their positions] at this time.11 (Res. App. 14A-15A) (emphasis added) Hunt also testified, I told [the plaintiff] at this time we had no immediate plans to fill the position. We were going to try to consoli date the activity and reduce manhours. (T. 42) Hunt went two months without filling either Mack's or Matthews' positions. After two months, however, of working 10 to 14 hour days with McManus, Hunt hired Sylvia Lord in late May 1984 to assume part of Sue Mack's job as a secretary and traffic clerk, to help with typing, keypunching data, and general office duties. (T. 46-47) In July 1984 he hired Fred Smith to work part-time (3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) as a traffic 7 clerk to relieve the work load)on McManus and himself. (Id.) There were still no employees other than the plaintiff who had been trained in the essential job of operating the computer because the office staff had never had sufficient time, given its reduced numbers, to implement Hunt's plan to cross-train employees. Indeed, petitioner acknowledged in her May 1984 performance evaluation that she was not promotable "due to employee turnover," referring to the difficulties caused by the departure of Mack and Matthews. (Res. App. 33A-34A) As of late June 1984, McManus had been performing most of a dispatcher's job responsibilities for three months, the probationary trial period for any new position. (T. 47-48; Res. App. 4A-6A) McManus was the employee most familiar with the job requirements of the dispatch 8 position, and she had performed this job well. (Id;, Res. App. 4A-6A) Since McManus had also specifically requested the promotion to dispatcher, Hunt then decided to designate McManus as the office dispatcher. (Res. App. 4A-6A) Hunt also considered the petitioner for the dispatch position, but she lacked McManus' experience in the job, and was less familiar with the overall operation of the office. (Res. App. 4A-6A) For example, McManus had supervised the keypunch operators and was preparing manuals for other job positions in the office (Id.. ) Thus McManus was appointed to be the dispatcher and the "ready replacement" in charge of the office when Hunt was absent. (T 50) Petitioner never asked Hunt for the dispatcher position during this time, even though she observed Hunt interview ing outsiders for the job. (Res. App. 9 22A-22A) On the other hand, "McManus called Hunt's boss and specifically requested the job. (Res. App. 5A-6A; T. 6 3 ) Petitioner stated she first learned McManus had been officially promoted to dispatcher on September 20, 1984, during a meeting with Hunt concerning petition er's refusal to accept McManus' supervi sion and direction. (T 178-79) Yet McManus had been performing all of the dispatch job responsibilities since June, and the majority of them since March when Matthews left. (Res. App. 4A-6A) She had also been supervising the keypunch operators. (Id-) At the close of petitioner's evi dence, the District Court entered Find ings of Fact and Conclusions of Law dismissing petitioner's Title VII claims for the reason that she had failed to offer any direct or indirect evidence of 10 racial discrimination and had failed to make out a prima facie case of discrimi nation. (Pet. App. 24a-40a) Judgment on the § 1981 claim was entered for those same reasons. (Id. 41A-42A) Petitioner appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. After a detailed review of the record, the Fourth Circuit affirmed. 823 F .2d 793 (July 14, 1987) SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT Petitioner fails to offer a plausi ble reason for the Supreme Court to conduct the third review of an eviden tiary record that both the District Court and the Court of Appeals held was insuf ficient to create a jury issue of racial ly discriminatory intent. Petitioner characterizes the opinion below of the Fourth Circuit as turning on legal principles that allegedly conflict with decisions of other Circuits. The 11 Fourth Circuit's decision, however, applied generally accepted rules regard ing proof of a prima facie case in a disparate treatment case. Moreover, the Fourth Circuit applied those rules correctly. First, the Court of Appeals correctly held that Robinson had failed to satisfy at least two elements of the prima facie case outlined in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973): she had failed to show she was at least as qualified as the person who received the promotion; and she had failed to show that she had applied for the promotion. Second, after correctly holding that Robinson could not avail herself of the McDonnell Douglas presumption, the Court of Appeals correctly concluded that her evidence, unaided by the presumption, was insufficient to support a finding of racially discriminatory intent. In so - 12 doing, the Court below did not announce or rely on any legal principles at variance with those announced by this Court or other Circuits. Finally, the petitioner has certain ly not shown that the Fourth Circuit "has so far departed from the usual course of judicial proceedings" as to call for the Supreme Court's extraordinary exercise of its powers of supervision. All petition er shows is that there are a few other Fourth Circuit opinions which held (correctly, it appears) that a plaintiff had failed to present sufficient evidence of discrimination. That does not consti tute a "pattern of usurpation." ARGUMENT I. THE FOURTH CIRCUIT PROPERLY CON CLUDED THAT PETITIONER HAD FAILED TO ESTABLISH A PRIMA FACIE CASE Petitioner attempts to characterize the Fourth Circuit's decision as invasive 13 of the jury's role as finder of fact in actions under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, as well as contrary to the law in other courts of appeal. Petitioner's evidence at trial fell far short, however, of establishing a prima facie case under the standards of McDonnell Douglas Corp, v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973). There was no substan tial evidence that petitioner was equally as qualified to receive the promotion at issue as the woman to whom the promotion was given, or that petitioner had applied for the promotion. Given these clear deficiencies in petitioner's evidence, none of the circuit decisions cited by petitioner suggests that any other circuit would have reached a decision contrary to the one below. To establish a prima facie case of racial discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, the "petitioner must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that she 14 applied for an available position for which she was qualified, but was rejected under circumstances which give rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination." Texas Dept, of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253 (1981). In McDonnell Douglas v. Green this Court articulated four elements of a prima facie case which creates a presumption of discrimination if unexplained, and puts on the employer the burden of articulat ing a non-discriminatory reason for its decision. 411 U.S. at 802. These four elements are: (i) that the petitioner belongs to a racial minority; (ii) that she applied and was qualified for a job for which the employer was seeking applicants; (iii) that, despite her qualifications, she was rejected; and (iv) that, after her rejection, the position remained open and the employer 15 ) continued to seek applicants from persons of the petitioner's qualifications. Id. The purpose of the McDonnell Douglas prima facie case is to eliminate the most common non-discriminatory reasons for the employee's rejection. International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. United States, 431 U.S. 324, 358, 44 (1977). "[T]he allocation of burdens and the creation of a prima facie case is intend ed progressively to sharpen the inquiry into the elusive factual question of intentional discrimination." Texas Dept, of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 255, n. 8. Although the specification of proof may vary depending upon the facts of a case, 411 U.S. at 802, n. 13, the employee nonetheless has the burden to produce some minimum amount of evidence sufficient to invoke the presumption that she was a victim of unlawful discrimination. 16 - To retain its usefulness to courts and litigants the elements of the prima facie case must retain some predictabili ty. Likewise, courts must take care not to detach the prima facie case from its rational basis in a set of facts which, if proven, rule out possible nondis- criminatory reasons for a challenged employment decision. The McDonnell Douglas model can be reshaped only so far before it ceases to serve its purpose. Here petitioner attempts to dispense with most of the elements of the McDonnell Douglas test, and desires to diffuse rather than sharpen the trial court's inquiry. In the light of her own testimo ny and the uncontroverted evidence from her case in chief, petitioner simply failed to adduce evidence sufficient to give rise to a presumption of unlawful discrimination. 17 Petitioner's own evidence at trial established that she was black, had asked to be trained in the duties of a dispatch clerk but had never applied for or sought promotion to that position, and that the promotion to dispatch clerk was awarded to a white woman who (a) had specifically requested the job, and (b) was, by petitioner's own admission, better qualified for the job than petitioner. Nothing in this uncontroverted evidence gives rise to an inference of discrimina tion, nor establishes a prima facie case. Petitioner nonetheless assails the Fourth Circuit's purported "improper, extremely rigid" application of the McDonnell Douglas test in concluding that she had failed to make a prima facie case. In fact, as shown below, the Fourth Circuit's decision is consistent with a number of circuit court decisions which have addressed the same issues. 18 &, Petitioner was not equally qualified. A key gap in petitioner's prima facie case was evidence that her qualifi cations were equal to or greater than those of the woman selected for the promotion to dispatch clerk, Donna McManus. Under McDonnell Douglas, a Title VII or § 1981 plaintiff must establish that she was qualified for the position she sought. McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802 (1973). Time and again the Courts of Appeals have held that a plaintiff must prove that she possessed, at a minimum, qualifications equal to or greater than those of the person selected for the promotion. E .g., Pacheco v. Advertisers Lithographing, Inc, 657 F .2d 191, 193 (8th Cir. 1981); Jamerson v. Board of Trustees, 662 F.2d 320, 322-323 (5th Cir. 1981) ("The core of [plaintiff's] claim requires proof 19 that he was at least as qualified as the white teachers. . . . Without this proof, [plaintiff's] claim collapses."); Clarke v. Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Ry. Co., 731 F.2d 698, 701 (10th Cir. 1984) (dismissal of claim appropriate absent "showing that [plaintiff] was equally or better qualified than those employees actually promoted.") See also Scott v. Sears, Roebuck & Co., 798 F.2d 210, 215 (7th Cir. 1986) (petitioner properly discharged where qualifications not equal to those of co-workers). Contrary to petitioner's assertions, the Fourth Circuit did not require her to prove that she was more qualified than McManus, but only that she was as quali- 2fied as McManus. The Court simply 2 Petitioner apparently confuses this case with Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 805 F.2d 1143 (4th Cir. 1986), granted, ____ U.S. ____ 20 accepted petitioner's own testimony that she was less qualified than McManus and thus not equal or "similarly situated" to McManus. As this Court noted in Burdine, "it is the plaintiff's task to demonstrate that similarly situated employees were not treated equally." 450 U.S. at 258. "Title VII . . . does not demand that an employer give preferential treatment to minorities or women . . . nor was it intended to diminish traditional manage ment prerogatives." 450 U.S. at 259. See also Fernandez v. Wynn Oil Co., 653 F .2d 1273, 1276 (9th Cir. 1981) (The 108 S. Ct. 65 (1987). Patterson upheld a jury instruction that a §1981 plaintiff was required to show he was more qualified than the person promoted. The Fourth Cir cuit's decision here makes no reference to Patterson or to requir ing proof of superior qualifications. 21 Civil Rights Act was not intended "to saddle business with unqualified employees.") By her own admission, petitioner lacked the qualifications necessary to be promoted to dispatch clerk in June 1984. (Res. App. 22A) Thus she was not a "similarly situated employee." Crawford v. U.S. Steel Corp., 660 F.2d 663, 667 (5th Cir. 1981) (where plaintiff lacked necessary qualifications for promotion, "conceding these facts is tantamount to conceding that [plaintiff] failed to establish a prima facie case.") B . Petitioner chose not to apply for promotion. Petitioner also failed to establish that she had applied for promotion to dispatch clerk, another necessary element of a prima facie promotion case. Freeman v. Lewis, 675 F.2d 398 (D.C. Cir. 1982); 22 Bundy v. Jackson, 641 F.2d 934, 951 (D.C. Cir. 1981). Petitioner argues, however, that since her "filing of a formal application would not have resulted in a different decision, it would have been futile for Robinson to apply." (Petition 43) The three circuit decisions cited by petitioner (Petition 42) clearly demon strate that an application for promotion is futile only when the employer's past discriminatory practices and procedures leave no doubt that an application would be rejected. Thus, in Packing House & Industrial Services, Inc, v. NLRB, 590 F.2d 688 (8th Cir. 1978), the court noted that a plaintiff can dispense with the application requirement only "where the circumstances make it clear that a rebuff would result." hi- at 696. In Gifford v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry. Co., 685 F.2d 1149 (9th Cir. 1982), the plaintiff established a prima 23 - facie case where the employer's "prior refusal to hire women for the position of wire chief," was such that "the employ er's promotional policies made applica tion futile." Id. at 1154. Similarly, in Babrocky v. Jewel Food Co., 773 F.2d 857 (7th Cir. 1985), the application requirement was dispensed with where the employer had created an atmosphere "in which employees understood that their applying for certain positions is fruit less." hi- at 857. Accord, Easley v. Empire, Inc., 757 F.2d 923, 930 n. 7 (8th Cir. 1985) ("formal application for a job will be excused when a known discrimina tory policy . . . deters potential j obseekers.") In contrast, there is no evidence here that Montgomery Ward had ever deterred or hindered blacks in promo tions. Hunt himself praised and valued Robinson as an employee, and tried to get 24 pay increases for her beyond the maximum authorized for her grade. (T. 33-38, 58) As the Fourth Circuit noted below, petitioner "asserted no argument whatso ever that she was in any way inhibited from making an application by Montgomery Ward's alleged discriminatory practices." 823 F.2d at 796. A § 1981 plaintiff should be required at least to apply for a job before she is entitled to legal redress, absent evidence that the employ er's past employment practices suggested that an application would be rejected. Freeman v. Lewis, 675 F.2d at 400-401 (requiring proof that the plaintiff both applied for and was in fact considered for the promotion). In Box v. A&P Tea Co., 772 F .2d 1372 (7th Cir. 1985), cert, denied, __ U.S. , 106 S. Ct. 3311 (1986), cited by petitioner (Petition at 45), an employee's statement to her manager that she "wanted to receive 25 - training for some other position so [she] could advance" was held to be an insuffi cient application for a promotion. Id. at 1377. At no time did petitioner ask for the job of dispatcher; she simply asked to be trained in the duties of the dispatch clerk when extra time for training became available. (Res. App. 19A-20A) Petitioner admitted that the necessary man-hours never became avail able because the number of employees in the office was decreasing, and that she first needed to cross-train other employ ees before she could abandon her job to train for another. (Res. App. 19A-21A) Likewise, the Fourth Circuit's decision here is not in conflict with the decisions of other circuits that have dispensed with the application require ment for a prima facie case when a plaintiff was unaware of a job opening. 26 Petitioner's own evidence at trial demonstrated that she was aware of Hunt interviewing two applicants for the dispatch position in June 1984. (Res. App. 21A-22A) Further, from January 1984 to September 1984, petitioner observed McManus undertaking all of the duties of a dispatch clerk. (Res. App. 20A) Not once, however, did she ask for promotion to dispatch clerk. Indeed, only a few weeks before McManus was promoted, petitioner acknowledged in her job evaluation that she was not promotable at that time. (Res. App. 19A) C. There was no evidence that Montgomery Ward sought applicants with qualifications equal to Petitioner's._______ The Fourth Circuit also properly found that petitioner had failed to establish the fourth McDonnell Douglas element: "that, after the rejection, the 27 position remained open and the employer continued to seek applicants from persons of the plaintiff's qualifications." (emphasis added). Read in context, it is clear that the Fourth Circuit reached this conclusion "[b]ecause [petitioner] admitted that the white female who was hired to fill the dispatcher position had higher qualifications than she . . . " 823 F.2d at 796. Whether the position remained open was not at issue; rather, Montgomery Ward had selected a more qualified person than petitioner. D. Petitioner did not introduce any evidence of pretext as to Montgomery Ward's decision to train McManus instead of petitioner.___________________ Unable to prove a prima facie case because of her lack of qualifications and failure to apply, petitioner attempts to reshape the entire theory of her case. She asserts that her claim of discrimina 28 tion arises not from Montgomery Ward's failure to promote her in June 1984, but from its decision in early 1984 to have her cross-train other employees on the computer before she received training as a dispatch clerk. During her case Petitioner called as a witness John Hunt, Montgomery Ward's terminal manager, who articulated the legitimate, non-discriminatory reason why petitioner was not trained in the duties of a dispatch clerk before Donna McManus. As noted by both courts below, petitioner could not then be trained as a dispatch clerk because no other employee could operate the computer. Her work as computer operator was critical (Res. App. 17A-20A); and, as she admitted, only she could perform all of the computer func tions. (Res. App. 18A) Petitioner conceded that she never completed her 29 cross-training of other employees so that she could be trained. The record does not support an inference that Montgomery Ward's explana tion of why McManus was trained first was pretextual. Petitioner introduced no evidence which suggested that "the proffered reason was not the reason for the employment decision." Texas Dept, of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. at 256. Regardless of whether this uncontroverted evidence is viewed as fatal to petitioner's effort to show a prima facie case, or as an unrebutted non-discriminatory reason for Montgomery Ward's decision, the result is the same: petitioner failed to establish a case for the jury. Petitioner relies heavily upon Ramsey v. American Air Filter Co., Inc., 772 F.2d 1303 (7th Cir. 1985), concerning her requests to be trained. There the 30 seventh circuit held that the defendant's motion for JNOV was properly denied because there was abundant evidence of discriminatory intent, including racial comments written by defendant on the plaintiff's employment application. Id. at 1310. Petitioner claims a conflict with Ramsey, merely because one of the numer ous incidents upon which Ramsey based his complaint is similar to the facts of this case. Ramsey requested a job that became open, and the company then trained two white candidates for that position but did not train Ramsey. The job was then awarded to a third candidate with greater seniority and experience than Ramsey. The Ramsey court never said or implied that this incident standing alone would have been sufficient to uphold the jury's verdict. In fact, the other incidents that Ramsey complained of are 31 'J more compelling and also provided the basis for the jury's verdict. The defendant employer had failed to inform blacks of their rights during lay-offs in violation of the company's own policies. Id. at 1308-09. The company had also decided to fill job openings sought by Ramsey with employees who were as quali fied as Ramsey but who had less seniori ty, despite the company's admission that seniority should be a factor in those decisions. A company employee had also written racial remarks on Ramsey's employment application. Id. at 1310. Thus there was substantial evidence of the employer's selective failure to enforce its mandatory policies to the prejudice of blacks, and of its practice of promoting whites ahead of blacks with more seniority. 32 E. Petitioner's "Direct Evidence" of Discrimination was Insuffi cient to Establish a Prima Facie Case.____________________ In addition to faulting the Fourth Circuit's application of the familiar McDonnell Douglas test, petitioner also claims that there was enough "direct evidence" of racial discrimination to take this case to the jury. This contention is based on a distorted view of the record. Petition er's argument asserts facts that the record does not support, exaggerates other facts, and ignores still other uncontroverted facts that do appear in the record. There are four "facts" that peti tioner claims provided direct evidence of racial discrimination. First, petitioner points to instanc es where Hunt inquired about the race of candidates for two positions. Petitioner 33 overlooks that in both instances Hunt approved hiring blacks to fill the jobs. (Res. App. 12A-13A) This cannot be evidence of racial animus. Second, petitioner points to Hunt’s use of the phrase "Black Beauty" to refer to petitioner. The evidence is simply that Hunt called Robinson, a handsome, black woman, "Black Beauty"; that when Robinson indicated to Hunt her dislike for the expression, he stopped using it, and that this occurred more than a year before the promotion at issue in this lawsuit. While Hunt's language may have been impertinent, it is hardly evidence that race was a factor in the employment decision at issue. Third, Robinson testified that, at some unspecified time, in the context of a discussion about Jesse Jackson's presidential prospects, Hunt remarked that "blacks can't succeed at anything 34 but sports." This remark had nothing to do with employment practices or deci sions. From Robinson's fragmentary report, it is impossible to tell whether Hunt was opining about the innate abili ties of blacks or simply offering his assessment of the external barriers a black presidential candidate faces in trying to attain national success. Fourth, petitioner asserts that the racial attitudes of another employee, Donna McManus, are somehow probative on the question of whether the employer had a racially discriminatory motive. Petitioner claims that Hunt supported or endorsed McManus' use of racially deroga tory language. The record shows unequiv ocally, however, that the witnesses were not in a position to know, and did not know, whether Hunt had reprimanded McManus or not. (Res. App. 10A-12A) One incident that petitioner wants to see as 35 Hunt's attempt to comfort McManus (Peti tion at 9), was clearly seen by the witness herself as just an attempt to quiet McManus down. (Res. App. 11A-12A) Moreover, there was uncontradicted testimony by two eyewitnesses that on one instance when McManus used a racially derogatory epithet, Hunt immediately called her into his office, and when McManus emerged from behind closed doors, she was crying. (Res. App. 11A-12A) The rational inference is that Hunt repri manded her. In any event, there is no evidence that Hunt approved or condoned her language. These individual facts do not add up to the minimum quantum of proof necessary to take a case to the jury. Petitioner nevertheless attempts to characterize the issue as one of a "Conflict Between the Circuits on the Use of Direct Evidence." 36 (Petition at 57) No such conflict was demonstrated, and none exists. In the sole case cited by petitioner in this context, Miles v. MNC Corp., 750 F.2d 857 (11th Cir. 1985), there was testimony that the relevant supervisor, when asked why he did not hire any blacks, replied "Half of them weren't worth a shit." Thus, there was clear evidence that the supervisor in Miles had racially bigoted views about the abili ties of blacks that were the admitted reason for his racially disparate hiring practices. No such evidence exists in this case. There is no "conflict" between the Eleventh and the Fourth Circuits on the use of direct evidence--only two cases that reached different results based on very different evidence. 37 II. CERTIORARI IS INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE THIS CASE PRESENTS QUESTIONS OF EVIDENCE RATHER THAN ANY ISSUES OF LEGAL PRINCIPLE____________________ Despite assertions about conflicts between the Circuits, the real crux of petitioner's complaint is simply that two courts looked at a particular set of facts and concluded that they did not add up to the minimum proof required to take a racial discrimination case to the jury. The Supreme Court does not grant certiorari "to review evidence and discuss specific facts." United States v. Johnston, 263 U.S. 220, 227 (1925).^ In essense, petitioner asks the Court to review all the evidence and find 3 Similar considerations of judicial policy and economy underlie the "two courts rule", which this Court applies to avoid review of trial court fact finding that has already been sustained on appeal. E .g . , Pick Manufacturing Co. v. General Motors Corporation, 299 U.S. 3, 4 (1936); Graver Tank & Manufacturing 38 what the trial judge, who heard all the evidence, was unable to see--evidence of racial discrimination in hiring. It is easy to see why petitioner strains so hard to bring this case within the ambit of the McDonnell Douglas test. Petitioner's evidence simply lacks the probative force to establish race dis crimination without the aid of an artifi cial presumption specially --and improperly-- tailored to the facts of petitioner's case. Unable to make out a case for discrimination in promotion, petitioner attempts to transform this into a case about discriminatory access to training. Her evidence, however, simply fails to support an inference of "the discrimina tory manipulation of training opportuni- Co. v. Linde Air Products Co., 336 U.S. 271, 275 (1949). 39 ties that she now alleges. Indeed petitioner's own case in chief estab lished a reasonable nondiscriminatory explanation why petitioner was not trained in the dispatch job. The evidence showed that petition er's office was a small operation in the process of being phased out. It was manned by a skeleton, five-person crew. Hunt, the supervisor, made a reasonable decision to try to cross-train office employees in each other's jobs so that the absence of one would not shut down the office. (Res. App. 1A-2A; T. 25-27) Petitioner's position as computer opera tor was, by her own admission, critical to the operation of the office (Res. App. 17A-20A). No one else, by Robinson's own admission, could handle all the aspects of her job. (Res. App. 18A). It was reasonably decided, with petitioner's agreement, that she would need to train 40 others in computer operation before she herself could be trained in other job functions, including the dispatch func tion. (Res. App. 3A-4A; 13A; 31A-32A) Unfortunately, the cross-training program never got off the ground. The resignation of two employees in March 1984 -- forty percent of the five-person staff -- left the office too thinly staffed to proceed further with the cross training. Donna McManus, whose regular duties overlapped with dispatcher and who already had prior training, continued to work at the dispatcher position. (Res. App. 15A-16A) Hunt's goal, as Robinson knew, was still to provide dispatch training to Robinson as soon as Montgom ery Ward authorized the necessary addi tional man hours. (Res. App. 15A-16A) However, the added manhours were never approved. (Id.) Hunt avoided filling the vacant dispatcher's and secretarial 41 jobs for the shoestring operation until he spent two strenuous months working 14-hour days (Res. App. 14A-15A) As petitioner was aware, he then interviewed two persons from outside the office for the dispatcher job before giving it to McManus after she had called Hunt's boss and specifically requested it. (Res. App. 5A-6A) Only after three additional months had passed, and an argument about McManus' authority as "ready replace ment, " did petitioner complain about the arrangement. (T. 198) III. THERE IS NO "PATTERN OF IMPROPER USURPATION" BY THE FOURTH CIRCUIT Petitioner's charges of "usurpation" are apparently intended to show an alternate ground for certiorari under Supreme Court Rule 17.1(a). The Fourth Circuit, however, has not engaged in a pattern of usurping the fact finder's role in employment discrimination cases. 42 To the contrary, it applies the standards for review dictated by this Court in cases cited with approval by petitioner such as Pullman-Standard v. Swint, 456 U.S. 273 (1982) and Brady v . S outhern Railroad, 320 U.S. 476 (1943). Petitioner points to five cases besides this one as evidence of the Fourth Circuit's alleged pattern of usurping the factfinder's role in employ ment discrimination cases. An examina tion of those cases shows that no such pattern exists. One of the cases, Patterson v. McLean Credit Union, 805 F.2d 1143 (4th Cir.), cert, granted, 108 S. Ct. 65 (1987), is currently before the Court on certiorari. In Patterson, the plaintiff's § 1981 claims were submitted to the jury on the issues of discriminatory failure to promote and discriminatory discharge. The jury found in favor of the employer. 43 - The issues before the Fourth Circuit did not even create an opportunity to "invade” the province of the jury. The principal issues on appeal were whether racial harassment is cognizable as a discrete cause of action under § 1981 and whether the evidence was sufficient to make out a state-law claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. On the former, the Fourth Circuit declined to recognize a new cause of action for racial harass ment under § 1981. On the latter, the Fourth Circuit correctly affirmed the district court's dismissal of the state law claim, on the grounds that the employer's alleged conduct -- while blameworthy if true -- simply did not rise to the level of the "extreme and outrageous" conduct required for the tort under North Carolina law. Nothing in Patterson infringes on the role of the jury. 44 The next case, Holmes v. Bevilacqua, 794 F.2d 142 (1986), apparently did not involve a jury trial. See id. at 148. (Murnaghan, J., concurring) There, the Fourth Circuit affirmed a dismissal of Title VII and § 1983 claims granted under Rule 41(b) at the close of plaintiff's evidence. Plaintiff was the one black among five admittedly "very well quali fied" candidates for an administrative position. A white was chosen. The plaintiff had offered no direct or indirect evidence of discrimination. The court found that the plaintiff could not satisfy the McDonnell Douglas test because the plaintiff could not show that the job remained open after he was rejected, despite his qualifications. The court acknowledged that evidence other than the job remaining open could have supported an inference of discrimi nation, but could find no such evidence. 45 Because the employee could not satisfy the McDonnell Douglas test or point to some other evidence that race was a determining factor in the decision, the court held that plaintiff could not make out a prima facie case. Moreover, the court found that even if plaintiff had made out a prima facie case, the evidence was clearly insuffi cient to rebut defendant's legitimate nondiscriminatory reason for its action. That reason had been introduced as part of the employee's affirmative case, through documentary exhibits. In Moore v. City of Charlotte, 754 F .2d 1100 (1985), a District Judge's finding of discriminatory discipline under Title VII was correctly reversed on appeal. The plaintiff, a police officer, had been demoted for serious misconduct. He had admitted using his position to secure the absence of essential witnesses 46 from a friend's trial for driving under the influence. The charge was dismissed as a result. Moreover, there was an accusation that Moore's misconduct was prompted by a bribe. The plaintiff offered evidence purporting to show that white employees were exposed to less of a risk of punishment for comparable offens es. In fact, the evidence showed that white police officers accused of the same or similar offenses were treated the same way as the plaintiff. The Fourth Circuit reversed the trial court's decision because it was based on equating disci plinary offenses without regard to their seriousness. The Fourth Circuit did not add a requirement to the McDonnell Douglas test to reach this result, as petitioner suggests. Rather, the Fourth Circuit simply applied a test appropriate to a case alleging discriminatory discipline, 47 with no direct evidence of discrimination or circumstantial evidence of a general pattern of racial discrimination. The plaintiff based his claim solely on circumstantial evidence purporting to compare treatment of similarly situated blacks and whites. Id. at 1105. The Fourth Circuit in no way required that an employee introduce such comparative evidence. It simply addressed a situa tion where that was the only evidence the employee purported to have, and correctly concluded that the evidence was legally insufficient. In Foster v. Tandy, 828 F.2d 1052 (4th Cir. 1987), the Fourth Circuit affirmed a JNOV in a § 1981 discriminato ry discipline case. The district court found no direct evidence of discrimina tion, nor any other evidence upon which a jury could reasonably infer discrimina tion. The employee appealed, claiming 48 that his only indirect evidence, a statistical exhibit, was adequate to support the jury's verdict. In explaining its holding, the Fourth Circuit emphasized that a JNOV is compelled when the jury reaches a "deci sion on the basis of mere speculation": Only evidence which shows the "probability" and not mere "possi bility" of discriminatory motivation will allow jury consideration. More simply stated, the inference of discrimination on the part of the defendant in a racial discrimina- tion case which the jury draws must be "reasonably" probable under the facts shown. Id. at 1056 (emphasis added) The problem with Foster's case was that he presented raw statistical data but failed to produce any evidence which related the statistics to the alleged discriminatory practice of the employer in his case. Because this was the only evidence of racial discrimination the plaintiff presented, the appellate court correctly affirmed the JNOV. 49 The last case petitioner cites is Lytle v. Household Manufacturing, Inc., No. 86-1097, slip op. (4th Cir., Oct. 20, 1987) (disposition reported at 831 F.2d 1057). Respondent agrees that the Fourth Circuit incorrectly applied an earlier precedent there to deny a jury trial to a § 1981 plaintiff by holding he was collaterally estopped by the trial judge's adverse findings on his Title VII claim. Lytle, however, is an unpublished opinion with no precedential value. More importantly, Judge Widener, the only judge in the present case who also sat in Lytle, wrote a vigorous dissent in Lytle and wanted to remand the case for a jury trial on the § 1981 claim (Res. App. 24A-30A) So much for petitioner's "pattern of usurpation." 50 CONCLUSION For the reasons stated, the petition for writ of certiorari should be denied. Respectfully submitted, * RANDEL E. PHILLIPS HAYDEN J. SILVER, III MARGARET A. BEHRINGER Moore & Van Allen 3000 NCNB Plaza Charlotte, N.C. 28280 (704) 331-1000 Attorneys for Respondent * Counsel of Record December 28, 1987 APPENDIX -1A- Excerpts from Trial Transcript September 22, 1986 Testimony of John Hunt k k k [p. 24] Q. Now, in December of 1983, Ms. Robinson approached you about learn ing the responsibilities of the dispatch er, didn't she, Mr. Hunt? A. In that general time frame, yes. Q. She told you she wanted to learn how to be--how to do the dispatcher responsi bility to expand her experience and her knowledge. Isn't that correct? A. Yes. It was part of an overall set of objectives we had set for every employee to be cross-trained in other functions. That was one of Hazel's obj ectives. Q. Okay. But before Ms. Robinson approached you, you had not developed these goals? 2 A - A. Yes, they were developed prior to that, yes. k k k [p. 31] Q. While she was on maternity leave, who performed her job responsibilities? [p. 32] A. Initially we try to split them up, and over a period of time, I started doing most of them myself. Q. Why did you start doing them your self, Mr. Hunt? A. Because they were being done improp erly, and the critical areas, I took control of and did them myself, freight payment, exceptions on ordering reports. Q. Would you tell who were the people performing Ms. McManus's tasks, Mr. Hunt A. Well, the freight payment was being performed by Hazel Robinson. As far as how the other functions were distributed I don't really recall exactly at this point in time. -3A- * * * 0. Did you discuss with Ms. Robinson the problems she was having in performing the responsibilities that were given to her? A. Yes, I did. Q. And what did you tell her, Mr. Hunt? A. I explained the problem and ex plained how I expected it to be done, and you know, how it should be done, and it was on a corrected basis. ■k k k [p. 37] Q. Now, Exhibit 3-D is a typewritten evaluation, isn't it? Isn't that correct, Mr. Hunt? A. That's correct. Q. And it is dated January 11, 1984. Isn't that correct, Mr. Hunt? A. That is correct. Q. And in this evaluation you give Ms. Robinson her objectives for the year 1984. Isn't that correct? -4A- A. That's correct. Q. And you also gave her an evaluation at this time, didn't you? A. That's correct. Q. Now, one of the things she was assigned to do was to train [p. 38] the other individuals in the computer func tion. Isn't that correct? A. Correct. Q. She was also supposed to learn the responsibilities of traffic clerk and dispatch. Isn't that correct? A. That's correct. k k -k [p. 52] 0. And why didn't you consider- -or did you consider Ms. Robinson for the position? A. Yes. All employees that were qualified on the payroll at that time were considered. Q. And Ms. Robinson was qualified? - 5 A - A. Ms. Robinson had the qualifications to be considered for the job, yes. Q. And why didn't you select Ms. Robinson? A. Well, there's a lot of different reasons. I guess the primary reason is Donna McManus had been performing the job for three months, or a couple months rather, on the training program. She had performed the job in the past. She was familiar with the job, the workings of the job, the requirements of the job. Donna McManus was also familiar with other aspects of the office that Hazel Robinson wasn't. She was a traffic clerk, in charge [p. 53] of keypunch operators. Donna was compiling manuals for other employees to help them do other jobs. Donna had a wide office back ground. I guess you could call her a Girl Friday, and she was qualified in almost all areas. Secondly, Donna -6A- McManus was the only party that asked for the j ob. * * * [p. 64] Q. And that's dated January 11, 1987. Correct? A. Hazel Robinson? Q. Yes. A. Correct. Q. And then at the very top it proceeds to list the three items of training which you have planned for her. Is that correct? A. That's correct. Q. And the first item is, says train assigned individuals in the proper operation of the computer function, and that's to be reviewed on May 9, 1984. Correct? A. Correct. Q. And then the next item is to her to learn and understand the responsibilities -7A- of the traffic clerk, and that is also to be reviewed on May 9. Is that correct? A. Correct. Q. The third was to learn and under stand the responsibilities of the dis patcher clerk, and that was to be reviewed on May 9, too. Correct? A. Correct. * * * [p. 70] Q. You mentioned that while Ms. McManus was on maternity leave, Ms. Robinson did some of her--part of her functions? A. Correct. Q. And there was some problem with the way she did that? A. Correct. O. Could you tell us what those func tions were and what the problems were? A. We had assigned Hazel Robinson the function of auditing freight bills. -8A- Q. What does that mean? A. We pay in-bound carriers to haul freight from a particular city to Charlotte, North Carolina, and we pay them for the freight charges, and it involves approximately $18,000,000 a year. Part of our process is to insure the accuracy of the bill, no duplicate payments, that the amount is correct, and that particular function--then we send them up to our Chicago office where they cut a check and pay the carrier--and that process was turned over to Hazel Robinson. Q. What, if any, problems did you have? A. We found there were bills not being paid. Interstate commerce requires they be paid within seven days. Found the bills [p. 71] weren't being paid. Carriers occasionally send in duplicate bills. The duplicates were being paid. Some bills were not being paid at all. - 9 A - Some of the amounts were being paid incorrectly. Q. Did you discuss that with Ms. Robinson? A. Yes. 0. What did you tell her? A. I explained the problems to her initially, you know, what the errors were, what she needed to do to correct them. We had all the raw data she needed to verify the accuracy of the billing, avoid duplicates, and the problems continued on. Q. Did you tell her anything when you took the function away from her? A. I explained to her why. When an error like that is made, it might take five minutes to find the initial error and correct it, but when it goes through the whole billing process, it might take eight to ten hours to correct that one and we were rather shorthanded,error, - 10A- and I couldn't afford to take that amount of time. 0. Did you explain that to her? A. Yes, I did. Testimony of Joe Matthews * * * [p. 103] Q. Do you know if Ms. McManus was reprimanded for referring to a fellow employee as a nigger? A. No, sir, I don't know if she was or not. Testimony of Sue Mack k k k [p. 114] Q. Did you ever overhear Donna discussing Corrine Thomas with Mr. Hunt? A. Well, there was one time the two of them were in an argument, [p. 115] and it was over at the keypunch machine and my desk. - 1 1 A - 0. By the two of them, who are you referring to? A. Corrine was keypunching and Donna was standing up. I don't know if Donna had been explaining something to her. I don't recall the circumstances that brought it on. But I was at my desk, which was a few feet away, and I suddenly heard Donna say, "Well, you kiss my ass," and I looked up, and whey I looked up, Corrine jumped up from her keypunch machine, and Donna took off into John's office, and she was yelling and she said, "I'm not taking anymore of this g.d. stuff from that nigger." •k k k And he said, "Sh-h-h, it's okay." He tried to quieten her down. Q. Who was the "he" you're referring to? A . Mr. Hunt. -12A- 0. And is that the only thing he did to her at that time? A. Well, she closed the door. I didn't make it any of my business to pay any attention to what else was said. I don't know what else was said after that. Q. Did he send her home on that occa sion? I'm referring to Donna McManus. Did he send her home or do anything that was obvious to you that represented some kind of disciplinary action? A. She was in there for quite a while, and when she came out, she had been crying. fp. 123] Q. You mentioned that Mr. Hunt asked about the race of Ms. Edwards and Ms. Thomas before they were hired. He approved them being hired, did he not? A. Yes, sir. Q . And he did that with the knowledge that they were black? - 1 3 A - [p. 124] A. Yes, sir. ■k k k Q. Do you know what, if anything, Mr. Hunt told Ms. McManus about that kind of behavior? A. No, sir. They did close the door, and like I say, she came out and she had been crying. That's all I know. Testimony of Hazel Robinson * * * [p. 175] Q . Now, did you discuss at any other time with Mr. Hunt about the training for the position of dispatcher? A. Yes. I mentioned it to him when he asked me to train Joe Matthews. I said I thought that I was going to get trained on dispatch, and he said, "You are, but I want people to cross train on the comput er first." -14A- Q. And did you question him again about the dispatcher position when Joe officially announced his resignation? A. Yes, when Joe had put in his two- week notice, I asked Mr. Hunt what did he want me to do about Joe's training in the computer room. Did he want me to contin ue. And he said, yes, and I said, "Well, why? He's leaving. He don't need knowledge of the computer." And I said, "Well, am I not going to get trained on the dispatch? And he said, "Yes, but I want Corrine to cross train on the computer first." [p. 176] 0. Did he tell you that he intended to fill the position that Mr. Matthews was vacating? A. No, he did not. There was two positions vacant at that time because Sue Mack also gave her notice and I asked him specifically what was he going to do about those positions, and he said he -15A- wasn't going to fill them at this time, and when he told me that he wanted Joe Matthews to continue training in the computer room, I asked him if I could train on some of Sue Mack's work because Joe was training on the computer. He was getting the hang of it. I really don't have that much to keep me busy, so Sue was leaving, and so I asked to be trans ferred to some of her duties so I would have something else to do and something new to do. k k k [p. 178] I'm going to turn your atten tion back to Plaintiff's Exhibit No. 7, please, the responsibilities that are listed for the dispatcher. Would you point out these that were being performed by Donna McManus before Mr. Matthews left? A. Okay. She was doing No. 3. - 1 6 A - Q. That's processing in-bound and outbound bills as required by Montgomery Ward? A. Yes. No. 4 and No. 8 was her regular duties. Q . Now, she didn't do any work with respect to payroll, did she? A. No. * * * [p. 192] Q. It's May of '82. Somebody punched a hole in the day. A. Okay, 5/82. Q. And that's your appraisal. Right? A. Yes. 0. Was this discussed with you at that time? A. Yes. Q. On Page 2 where it lists potential, says to consider qualifications for position of greater responsibility. Then says indicate potential in terms of -17A- immediately promotable, potentially promotable, new, best suited for present assignment, etc., and it has written in there best suited for present [p. 193] assignment. Correct? A. Yes. Q. You didn't make any complaint about that at that time, did you? A. No, I did not. * * * Q. Look at Exhibit 3-C. It says the same thing, does it not, under potential? A. Yes. Q. And it's dated 8/83? A. Uh-huh. Q. And you made no objection to that, did you? A. No. Q. Now, in January of '84, when you began or the employees began this cross training that you've testified about, at that time is it not true that you were -18A- the only person who was fully capable of running a computer? A. All functions of the computer, yes. Q. You were the only one that could do that whole job? A. Uh-huh. * * * [p. 195] Q. And 3-D is on an appraisal form and that is the document that's dated January 1, 1984, that has the objectives as far as training. Correct? A. Yes. Q. And it lists at the top there to train assigned individuals in computer function, and that was to be reviewed on May 9, and that's what you undertook to do in the early part of 1984. Is that right? A. Yes. Q . And then 3-E is another similar document on May 9, 1984, which notes that you have trained the three individuals in -ISA- various operations and that the other objectives have not been accomplished because it says due to employee turnover, unable to be trained to this date. Is that correct? A. Yes. Q. Was that discussed with you by Mr. Hunt? [p. 196] A. Yes. Q. And you signed that document in May? A. Yes, I did. Q. On the second page, it says you're going to try when additional man hours are available, to learn traffic clerk and dispatch functions. Is that correct? A. Yes. Q. And since May through this date, today I guess, the operation there at the Wardex facility has continued to decline, has it not? A. Yes. -20A- Q. You didn't get additional man hours; in fact, things went down until all the hourly people have been laid off. Is that correct? A. Yes. * * * [p. 198] A. No. I was told that everybody would be cross-trained, and I was to cross-train people in the computer room first. Q. You were told in May in Exhibit 3-E that you weren't going to be cross- trained until there were additional man hours available, and yet you thought Ms. Manus was still getting training and you weren't and you didn't say anything about it? [p. 199] A. No. I was still training people in the computer room. Q. But you weren't getting trained, and you didn't say anything about it, did you? - 2 1 A - A. No. That was because I hadn't completed my training of the people in the computer room. * * * [p. 200] 0. Did you see people being interviewed in the office prior to the time Sylvia Lord was hired? A. Yes. Q. There was another man that was interviewed and another woman that was interviewed? A. Well, I saw one lady, and Corrine Thomas told me about a guy that came in, but I didn't see him. Q. That was when, April, 1984? A. I can't remember the exact date, but it was during the time Sylvia Lord was hired. Q. Do you know when Sylvia interviewed? -22A- A. She interviewed during that time period because out of the people that came in to be interviewed, she has hired. 0. Did you know what those people were applying for? A. I know what Mr. Hunt told me. Q. What did he tell you? A. I came out of the computer room one day, one afternoon, or [p. 201] maybe one morning--I don't remember exactly when--and I saw someone filling out an application, and I asked Mr. Hunt was he filling a position, and he told me that he needed someone to catch up on the exceptions and do some typing. * * * Q. You admit, do you not, Ms. Robinson, that when Joe Matthews left Montgomery Ward's employment, that Ms. McManus was more qualified to do the dispatcher job than you were, wasn't she? -23A- A. Because she had got the training and I hadn't. Q. She was more qualified to do the work than you were, for whatever reason. The fact is she was more qualified to do these duties than you were at that time. You admit that, don't you? k k k k [p. 202] A. Yes. - 2 4 A - Excerpts from Lytle v. Household Manufacturing, Inc. k k k WIDENER, Circuit Judge, dissenting: As the Seventh Circuit has pointed out: "Collateral estoppel is a judicial ly developed doctrine, United States v . Mendoza, 464 U.S. 154, 158 (1984), which, when properly applied, can relieve parties of the cost and vexation of multiple law suits, conserve judicial resources, and by preventing inconsistent decision, encourage reliance on adjudica tion. Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. 90, 94 (1980)." Hussein v. Oshkosh Motor Truck Co., 816 F .2d 348, 355 (7th Cir. 1987). The majority argues that our decision in Ritter v. Mount St. Mary's College, 814 F .2d 986 (4th Cir. 1987) (Ritter II) requires the application of collateral - 2 5 A - estoppel in this case. I disagree and therefore respectfully dissent. In this court's Ritter decisions, the district court had dismissed the plaintiff’s legal claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. § 621 et seq., and Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d), on First Amend ment grounds. The district court then conducted a bench trial on the equitable claims under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et. seq. At the close of the bench trial, the lower court made findings of fact adverse not only to the plantiff's Title VII claims but also Findings inconsistent with the maintenance of her ADEA and Equal Pay Act claims. On appeal, in an unpublished opinion we affirmed the district court's Title VII fact finding as not clearly erroneous, see Fed. R. Civ. P . 52(a), but reversed the lower -26A- court's dismissal of the plaintiff's ADEA and EPA legal claims and remanded the case for proceedings consistent with our opinion. Ritter v. St. Mary's College, No. 81-1534 (4th Cir., June 8, 1984) (unpublished) (Ritter I). On remand, the district court determined that its findings made in the Title VII equitable suit collaterally estopped the relitigation of those same facts before a jury on the remanded ADEA and Equal Pay Act legal actions. We affirmed that lower court ruling. Ritter II, 814 F.2d at 992. I think it most significant that no ques tion was raised in Ritter I that the erroneous conclusion of law of the district court had deprived plaintiff of her Seventh Amendment right of trial by jury. That question was not raised until after remand in Ritter II. Having failed to appeal the issue in the first appeal, it would not seem too unreasonable to -27A- apply collateral estoppel the second time around. Cf. Hussein, 816 F.2d at 359, Judge Posner concurring. This case, however, is significantly different than Ritter II. Here, the lower court erroneously concluded that the § 1981 claims were precluded by the Title VII claims. By its erroneous holding that Title VII was the exclusive remedy for employment discrimination, it specifically denied the plaintiff his right to trial by jury and that is the point which is appealed. In other words, the sole reason that plaintiff has been denied his right to a jury trial is the erroneous ruling of the district court which was appealed as soon as the oppor tunity presented itself. This is not, therefore, a case like Ritter II where the district court's error was let slide until the second appeal. If a litigant can be denied the right to a jury trial -28A- simply because a district court has come to a justifiable factual conclusion in a trial without a jury, the Seventh Amend ment means less today than it did yester day. (FN4) Furthermore, it is significant that the Seventh Circuit, when faced with exactly this issue on indistinguishable facts, has determined that "an application of collateral estoppel does not permit findings made by a court in (a Title VII) proceeding to bar further litigation of (§ 1981) claim that had been properly jointed...." Hussein, 816 F.2d at 356. I am also disturbed by the justifi cation of the denial of a litigant's Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial by reason of judicial interest in economy of resources. This reason undoubtedly existed at the time of the ratification of that Amendment and has since, in my opinion, however; it does not suffice as - 2 9 A - a policy argument to circumvent a posi tive provision of our organic law. To my way of thinking, in the event of a policy contest between judicial economy and the Seventh Amendment, the Amendment should prevail. Accordingly, I would vacate the judgment of the district court and remand this case for trial by jury on all the issues so triable. i plaintiffs i EXHIBIT '" " 3£D_ %SfSŜ §gg5%gg: '■toper atioru. o f' - the/.CcT=?utaprjupctioa. — — ^-^r;-r^,=:N-y^^^-^o4£^MrjHÂ Qrrx..Ĵ zX-̂ ŷ c&zg t y p = nf' " '- '■ r ' ; ' ' — ' ' " T F DATE O E / ^ r , . ^ ! N j C 3 r A---------. ..- A - ^ ^ - . - ' ^ - rV " JC_3 tTTnA , c a ’ n c ', n " F :tz.‘ 'Six tenth •--Tflgvi'iw'C 01/ 11/ 8&V-Si?p - Computer Operate; .̂ '..-r ^ ;0EWXC6 qats Q££SZ>7£1 OBJECTIVES /PERFORM ANCE.STANDARDS AND RESULTS OBTAINED-FOR R E V fE W P E R tO py : £~ Ob | act rv a /Pedorrn in co S ran dardit-.T; '’■Tr^^'ri^a33ignedr'/fadividukl3 -in the proper -^: Learn arid understand the r e sp o n s ib ilit ie s . o f the T r a f f ic C le rk " ' • .;•______:_______ Leara and understand the re sp o n s ib ilit ie s o f the Dispatch Clerk , iflw Lrits ̂ Attain ‘ >TO''BÊREvirw:SD'ON KAY ''̂'X984!~ji^C*^^^^ -'TO BE BE7IZWZD ON HAY ~9,' 19 TO BE REVIEWED ON HAY 9, 1984 PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS: Put an X next lo the fating under the description that best defines the employee's performance on each factor duringthe rating ■; period. (The rating codes are defined at trie"bottom of this formA backpage, use a plus {- ) or minus (- ) sign for greater accuracy, if appropriate except r.Mcbde). Then . ent^r specific statements/examples in the Supporting Comments Section to Support tne rating. . . ; . \1- Volume exceptionally . high. CZZ3 R ^ . Volume dearly exceeds re tirem en ts . %* V. . * • " ' D e n - ' . Volume meets requirements in a fully acceptable manner.. 0 ^ '• .*» Volume does not consistent ly meet requirements. - • D m m Volume tails to meet requirements. r ’ • ; D fm ̂ ' P poR TIN G COMMENTS: . Q ua lity o f W o rk - C o n s id e r a c cu ra cy , com p le ten ess and n ea tn ess o l w ork . Work exceptionally accurate, com plete & neat. Rarely makes mistakes. Work accurate, complete v 4 neat. Seldom makes mistakes. , [ ^ f c e . Accuracy, completeness and neatness o f work is fully acceptable. □ m u V/ork often unacceotabie. Makes trequent mistakes. □ m m Inaccurate work. Makes excess™* mistakes. □ f u SUPPORTING COMMENTS: . • • • * • » ■ -.•*.■ V.' T\ ' P lan n in g 1 O r e .n lz , l io n o l W ork - C o n . ld . r . l l . c l l v . n . , 1 In o rga n iz in g and c o m p ly in g l s , k . ac cord in g lo prig rlty. Tasxs exceptionally weil orgam jed jn d always com pleted ac cording to priority. ' ■•■•■ C D RE ............. Tasks well organized and consistently com pleted according to priority. .r . ........ ® C E * ' Tasks organized and com pleted in a fully acceptable manner. □ UR • '* Tasks often disorganized. Pnorities often out ol order. • D ™ Tasks generally disor- — ; • gamzed. Unable to '/•• determine priorities. •" ' * • ' r u - T v r ^ -W o r t R e la tion sh ip s - C on s id e r coo p era tio n w ith Internal and externa l Individuals In support o f com pan y and departm ent o b j e c t i v e * ^ ^ Cooperate* very welt- , with Others in supportln •pompany objectnw*- Jw, <3 * & ■ Cooperates with others V v ' ’* ‘"Jn support of company f objectiv«s. ^ 'Frequently uncooperative .*£?•_* 'with others in support 6? 'company objectives.'' Exceotlonahy C oopera te* h\ Others m aupoort of •r-.v?!* •'•: ■ \par-y objectives.AA - Hjrr-y V _ j* . ly ’u n c o o p e r * tN « j with other! In •upporTh.^'-'ii’? “ o f company objectWeaT-’^ / i ^ i r " . C o o * ^ * - ■ r t * c ‘_ " » « ^ * j » 0V -*iw **ag ■'*rtn ittH , or no «OD>nirnOf? ,rw i *.**Jng pc3ot> on nw-'.. 3 . ' ' ' g f ' . _ ~. ^V’ ---------* ~ '— -- 'i •- ^.-w -'• *-- " — * •• - ' -------- --- - :---- ~ --1 ----------■*- -.1 . ..-XTVy. _ ■,_•■ iJaSJUJn gdn d*o erwderrt 'eci'y&v-C ,^ :p o C-a ’ ~^G CCUM = STS f̂lrfidsjd "iupepnejori-.r equ ir wi -. -jrt^deraow*tr*fe« consider-': 4 v-r*/V Requires jvxirji&motif}^Qf.-...7C supervision in d -*#me(V/!̂-~ InUin - .T-D !*-Ŝr7fx& » . - . -X ir : * ’-• • - -'>’ 4iiE5S^iSEii^i]E" 'Jf̂raj '.r ; /, j » y r » »U >*T1»1- -<*. v -l-~ j-»-J-‘~* ! Sug>err‘ * o ry S tt ila - C o a p U l * th.ia M e llo n O N L Y II t u M n l i i o n Is s regu la r part o f Ihe jo ix o i ,W w < M , l* a r * blank.-,-.! ~ŷz\- stm,? §£' mxijr,fee-fy -j^sna and assign* w w » . j o - “ r -excecOOrtaiy w*d. Secures _ - L . #*c»*«r^t. cooceve too and £", psrtpr roan c *-_ v-_-'~ •‘‘p/' i-m n ^ g f i F (P!ao* end assign* w ort. _ .- y weiU. Secure* *~f good-cooperaUen and . J.'. performance.' • .'„ .—r'-' Provicee suihcient superyT vision and ce'egatlon to y*- M Cur* fully accept act y —lu p irtO 'm m c* •>. i/lc. A>1 Root leacer •<‘xj deieg-e:«* Vary poor Weder W 'O^CTTT^' ineffectively. Crtan fa.is • y i w ‘p c * »n c f den*;ale: -V C -T 7•I—.'?, -fo u o j m acceptable Generally tad* to jrRTTg p*Wo/m anca . rsecur* a c c e p ta b le -A * Hjc ' r>ii S k ills ( C ” ce & O r t c s l C n lv l: U s in g the cod es as d e iln ed at the b ottom o f the p a g e , fat# the afcllli the em p lo y e e dem onstrated on the jo b d u rin g the ra llng p er io d . It n o t ap p lica b le , n o te NA_ . ' " y.V —Oc*:.- Su.’ u ' :-~ii i‘‘i\ >S' . * v *• h .- Typing Language Arts ̂Office Machines /&£< __ Telephone j.^Fillng Shorthand^^/J“ .^ v ; v . i f - r . rt- . - . t r -> OVTP ALL HATING OP PERPORWANCE: Considering all factors in relation to their importance to the employee's job. place sn *X next to the r iting which best desenoes the employee s overan perlormance. Use a plus {* ) or minus (-) sign for greater accuracy it appropriate (except FW C^de). The ratings are defined at the b ottom 'd the p age .' • ' - 1 *" . • " ■■■■ • ■ ‘ " • □ « FVY- • ■ ' • • ' ( I m U * J — 1 ^ PERPQRM ANCS IMPROVEMENT: 3 ss«d on tn« amployM * ovarall psrtormancs during tfls rating period. Uat employ M ‘* main strengths and development needs. Strengths: *\ dependable--employee who needs v e ry l i t t l e su p e rv is io n o r fo l lo w op. E rro rs a re a t a minimum. v She does a v e r y good jo b in a s s is t in g d ther employees - In the o f f i c e in va r iou s tasks . _ '. . Development Needs: "* / ^ ' *• .. • A reas o f th e o b je c t iv e s l i s t e d on page 1 - employee w i l l be w orking on these o b je c t iv e s IMPRQVEUEHT PLAN: Indicate what sctiona wiU be taken to help the employee improve his/her performance on present job (e.g.. on the|obtraining.company training programs, etc.) ‘ v . ' • * _ . __n . . Employee w i l l be lea rn in g va r iou s aspects o f the o f f i c e . P nO U Q TA S IU T T STATUS: Place an_X_in the spece that applies. t( prom otade. Ust the type of lob(s). m .. n v {> . > lT T ^ e (s ) : _ * P n r tM im irr a EXHIBIT -3- E D WAGE'EMPLOYEE TE BF O R M A N CTtTtVIL W is 5 RO iiESŜit:Vrju'krji;~ EV>.S'̂ t238T_ • 0 R &‘ -o r g : ->■ ■ r i ' j : , n ~ V . ' v ? . Y L - " * a T s » sagT. yy fcg^(o5To?y4'j°?e c c K ^ c i i i x i c i NAM E NO. ‘rO B J E c r iV E S * '/?E R F O R M A N C E S T A N0A ?fS » E S U L7S O B T A IN E D FO R R E V IE W P E R IO D ■ • j l r a in f a s s i g n e d - i n d i v i d u a l s l i t * t h e ' ' p r o p e r f i\c\ H A S T R A I N E D T H R E E E T O C T H I U A L S IN " 7A R J O O S O P ^ -R A T I O N S , ' C O N T IN T J IK C P R O C E S S L e a r n a n d . u n d e r s t a n d t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o r ■ "tha T r a f f i c C l a r k ■'" . / V D u e t o ' e m o l o y e e t u r n - o v e r ,• : u n a b l e . ;: t o ••besmfcmS*.: . . . t . r ji i.n i» j3_ a ^ - ^ . t h i - S - u d L ^ f l L l ' W *V- •*.->• .1 Vs vt .-v-M-tr -.-f-.'.-o Jj -«•» . r - s" k d i - ' E i r - t L e a r n a n d u n d e r s t a n d t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s o f t h e D i s p a t c h C l e r k ... . - • . - - ’ D u e t o e m p l o y e e t u r n - o v e r , u n a b l e t o b e * t r a i n e d a s o f t h i s d a t e . ' * PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS: Put an X next to the rating under the description that best delines the employee's performance on each factor during tne ratmg " • period. (The rating codes predefined 31 tne cottomof thu form s back page, use a plus (*) orm.nuj (-) iny\ lor greater accuracy, if appropriate except FCt code). Then. - . antjr specific statements/examples in the Supporting Comments Section to support tnt rating. . V . - . . V - " ‘ - .r < \ Quantity of W ork - C o m ld e r the volume o! work produced. Volume meets requirements Volume does not comment- volume fails to meet •; -. . ;u. .> ..... . . ■ ,.- • , -v >( !•• - ' ~ .-*» 'iv - - - ■ H m r + ■ , V - r. . □ fm 'p o r t in g c o m m e n t s : Employee perform s ‘ job requ irem ents dependent: on d a ily volume to be p rocessed . Capable o f -producing maxinun volume on heavy work days-adjusts her perform ance acco rd in g ly " on slow work days. * - ;• of WorSt 'Op t in g c o m m e n t s : Hakes a concerned e f f o r t to k eep -e rro rs a t mininun-when erro rs do deve lop m akes.-kil n ecessary e f f o r t s to d e te c t and co rrect.- '--F in ish ed p rod u c t.is fu rn ished in a , com p lete and neat manner. >t ”. j lJ *i‘ H * V * * r * ~ \ '• aL!g?QBTING COMMENTS......... . tm ployee understands the requ irem ents o f the^assigned r e s p o n s ib i l i t ie s - r ^ ‘DeveTops‘"'and"'plan's d a ily "work schedule a cco rd in g to computer t in e a v a ila b le , needs o f. n r c o n s o lid a t io n dock,:'and t o e r ^ f f l c « ’ ’t e q » l r e a e n t » . V f l ^ ^ ^ J I J ^ ^ ^ g ? ^ î ' ' - y i C o n sid e r coopiTalion with Irvlemai and-externaJ Indlvjduafi In support of Cl *1 w p p o n g ii.v-c . , t aide- ;b us iriea’rf̂ jr.; accurate, complete & and neatness of work is Work often unacceptaOle. Makes frequent mistakes. neet. Rarely makes mistakes. • • fully acceptaote. _ • - . - ’ mistakes. . . / .. . - . □ r e B c z - □ m r . n .M s i - - O ™ ’ • " ■ T .,v . Tasks well organized • . - ’ Tasks organized and com- Tasks often disorganized. Tasks generally rfisor- • well organized and and consistently com- . •. pleted in a fully acceptable Priorities often out of order. . ganized Unas1# to • % ; always completed ac- pleted according to manner. . . ■ cording to priority. priority. - v .. • • i • . . ' . ! - - ••• 0- - - D u m - - - - - - L J p u • —' w~; h J tt<e.-o f_n «:*U 5>^v '»ion a r>d U « ̂ : '-̂bs: Xomorts tr^ W _iacra i»«<bT^ r^u^saorciiaa *fx } (S m orv X w la o i V* I i i"LS5'%-5fl us -t̂Sdl I JUST»<VO«SQi •;f2 X ^ Q ->7? ^ ^ ~^in^errstand3 tha m a jo r i t ^ ^ f -yrork^eiLat:& j j g x g 3 p P o 3 i ^v-$ ^^T^rforaecf^by - o t i ie r jp a i^ 'a & 's 7 o th e rs when t in e la ~ A7fillflble'.~-^rHn.3VaXdeaixe '.to~C3crplete'T~ LT7 j o b ’ y a ig n ^ n t sX ayu ll'ab l e^on c r - t in a ly b a s is . •--- j S u p a rr iso ry S t i l l * - C om p la ta Lhia auction O N L Y It. aupanrla lon U * regu la r part, o f th « j o b ; p i h * r w l i a , t ^ v a . b f a n f c ^ k a ^ i a ^ y ^ mPlana am> assign* work . ^ - * . I PUna and a**rgn* work axcopiloivaiiy wall. Sacura* a>«fy. provide* aufficlaot suptr- vision and daiagatton to • M cu ri fuily accept col* • .P^rfbrVnanoal; ; i • **-;ytrtCp.'’ SUPPORTING COMMENTS: ;^ t r t V ^ ' T V ’' ' -;;-:-E> Poor leader » iy j daiogata lna/T*clN*ry. O ftao faiU^r to a*cur« accaptablV — yiĝiiL) uuĵ q; Vary poor dO«* -fiot-d' G ana n il y fall* . _ _ „ .„,____ n**cu r 4 ̂ c c - w y o 4 ^ ^ jy ^ S p ; jX yX . p»r-‘tvm*ruo*^--".LlX.V*l:o. «^ ‘-s —..S '.£?- .— ?•■••v y .- . f f f - l y y r ~ " ------ ------ _ _ , . . . _____ y »/ -r Vi r - ____. . . . . ___ v - • . , . . . _ ...._____ „ . . . . _ . . ^ ^.y - - -^, . - .•..,S ;7 ^ '-3 r ) j 255 -r-ii SVHlt (Qtflca 3. Clerical Only): Using tha codaa a* dallnad at th# bottom ol tha paga, rata lha *xJll» tha amployaa da-monitriled on tha job during tha rating pariod. It not appllcabla, nota NX.^ f _ ../• ;' '■-.j — '- *'-<gj*; ...T,\ :h.‘.i*i* ; r l - “ ." .5/-S : Typing _ _ H 5 - . < Languaga Arts _ U 2 ■ • • Of f l c* f a K R + Talapfiona _H ?v+ _' Filing K R _ Shorthand NA_'/'.' \'~ ZZ‘~.7̂ -~ ' OVERALL RATING OP PERFORMANCE: Considering all factors in relation io (hair importance lo tha employee's joo. place an-X^eal to (h « rat*«3 which bast descnoes tna em ploy** s overall partormanca. Use a plus (• ) or minus (-) sign lor graaler accuracy if appropriate (accept FW-Q^da). Tha ra!>ng» ara delm*d at tha bottom of tha page. * * ’ _ ........J~/ ' - **• •*• U s XL _E« ' P-./ ' • H e PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT: 3 u *d on the amployaa's ovarail partormanca during the rating pariod. list amployaa * mtin strangthi and da«*oomant n**dt. Strengths: •y-ipInyoA i s v e ry dependable and w i l l con p le te her d a i ly - r e s p o n s ib i l i t ie s on a t im e ly b a s is . She does no t h e s i t a t e to help o th ers in the-perform ance o f th e ir r e s p o n s ib i l i t i e s . '--***' .X.V- *• ' •*'" *•-*■'- •'• ' • -jc* . 'ejooment Naeds: Needs to -ob ta in a b e t t e r understanding o f the C la im s/ In d iv id u a l Excep tion R eport fu n c tio n s . MPROVEMENT PLAN: Indicate what actions will be taken to help tha employe* improve his/her performance on pre it job (e.g.. on tha job tra* t/ainmg programs, ate.) * . In near fu tu re , when a d d it io n a l manhours a v a ila b le , p rov ide th e op portu n ity to the em ployee to le a rn and understand the r e s p o n s ib i l i t ie s perform ed b y -th e T r a f f i c C le rk and D ispatch Fu n ctions. -A lso p ro v id e the employee^ t in e and op p ortu n ity to lea rn more anu understand b e t t e r , th e c la im s and handling o f Exceptions.'- V ; f - ■ PRO M PT ABILITY STATUS: P lica an X in lha jpaca that appliaa. If promotabla. list tha typa of job (j). . . . . . . . ; .t !- . X * i p - - i— I I— I Job Till# (»):• . ...- Promotabla Now -v< * • • .*’ f . '-* Y es I__ ] No LX i Promotabla Futura (within naxt 2 years) Suparvisor • .. ........... - ■ -JOHN V .' .'HUNT : I r r r k ^ : r'Z‘~ Empigyaa » 3$natur» (O o«j not imply fv'l agr* 7 "Z~ - w. X * ~ ' Indicate* »oor*!ia i h*a tw vi dt*OJ***d wah you ) ..— , ; D*lln lbon» ol Rating C>d<: rflar*ty *su*ft*d V - C . - «. -v -'-'v c% v \ x >'-A t . ' .V < ,»J ¥ X H i ^ t o r