Source: http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/679/965/13307/
Timestamp: 2013-06-19 22:45:06
Document Index: 798947435

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 5', '§ 39', 'art:\n12', '§ 703', '§ 40', '§ 39']

679 F.2d 965: 28 Fair Empl.prac.cas. 1657,29 Empl. Prac. Dec. P 32,794boston Chapter, Naacp, et al., Plaintiffs-appellees, v. Nancy B. Beecher, et al., Defendants-appellants,andboston Firefighters Union, Local 718, Intervenor-appellant.pedro Castro, et al., Plaintiffs-appellees, v. Nancy Beecher, et al., Defendants-appellants,andboston Police Patrolmen's Association, Inc., Intervenor-appellant :: US Court of Appeals Cases :: Justia
Justia > US Law > US Case Law > US Federal Case Law > US Courts of Appeals Cases > F.2d > Volume 679 > 679 F.2d 965 - 28 Fair Empl.prac.cas. 1657,29 Empl. Prac. ...	NEW - Receive Justia's FREE Daily Newsletters of Opinion Summaries for the US Supreme Court, all US Federal Appellate Courts & the 50 US State Supreme Courts and Weekly Practice Area Opinion Summaries Newsletters. Subscribe Now
679 F.2d 965: 28 Fair Empl.prac.cas. 1657,29 Empl. Prac. Dec. P 32,794boston Chapter, Naacp, et al., Plaintiffs-appellees, v. Nancy B. Beecher, et al., Defendants-appellants,andboston Firefighters Union, Local 718, Intervenor-appellant.pedro Castro, et al., Plaintiffs-appellees, v. Nancy Beecher, et al., Defendants-appellants,andboston Police Patrolmen's Association, Inc., Intervenor-appellantUnited States Court of Appeals, First Circuit. - 679 F.2d 965
Argued Jan. 4, 1982.Decided May 11, 1982
1 Mass.Gen.Laws Ann. ch. 31, § 5
2 We refer throughout this opinion to Castro et al. v. Beecher et al., and related proceedings as the "police case." The police case is reported at 334 F.Supp. 930 (D.Mass.1971); 459 F.2d 725 (1st Cir. 1972); 365 F.Supp. 655 (D.Mass.1973); 386 F.Supp. 1281 (D.Mass.1975). Similarly, we refer to Boston Chapter, NAACP, Inc., et al. v. Beecher, et al., and related proceedings as the "fire case." The fire case is reported at 371 F.Supp. 507 (D.Mass.1974); 504 F.2d 1017 (1st Cir. 1974), cert. denied, 421 U.S. 910, 95 S.Ct. 1561, 43 L.Ed.2d 775 (1975); 423 F.Supp. 696 (D.Mass.1976). Both the police and fire cases were reported most recently in Chief Judge Caffrey's consolidated opinion, 522 F.Supp. 873 (D.Mass.1981), from which this appeal arises
3 Among the named defendants were the Metropolitan District Commission, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Capitol Police. 334 F.Supp. at 934
4 The consent decree finally agreed upon in the police case directed that four groups of eligible police officer candidates be established for each requisitioning police department:
5 This parity target also applied to the state agencies enumerated in note 3 supra, relative to the percentage of minorities in the communities served by those agencies
6 The district court concluded that defendants had not rebutted plaintiffs' prima facie case of discrimination established by the statistical disparity between the percentage of minority fire fighters in various fire departments and the relevant local population; it found that the entrance exams were not job related. Boston Chapter, NAACP, Inc. v. Beecher et al., 371 F.Supp. 507, 517 (D.Mass.1974), citing Castro et al. v. Beecher et al., 459 F.2d 725, 732 (1st Cir. 1972)
7 Section 703(j) of Title VII provides:
8 The Supreme Court has approved of racial preferences granted to "minority" groups of divergent composition. Compare United Steelworkers of America v. Weber, 443 U.S. 193, 99 S.Ct. 2721, 61 L.Ed.2d 480 (1979) (blacks only) with Fullilove, et al. v. Klutznick, Sec. of Commerce, et al., 448 U.S. 448, 100 S.Ct. 2758, 65 L.Ed.2d 902 (1980) (Negroes, Spanish-speaking, Orientals, Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts). Throughout this opinion, our references to "minority" group members pertain to blacks and hispanics only. Whether a particular individual qualifies as a "minority" group member entitled to relief according to this definition has not been raised by the parties and we proffer no opinion on that question
9 Prior orders and stipulations in both cases have dealt with matters going beyond civil service certification measures, including employment of provisional employees, recruiting, appointment targets, rejection of applicants, the effects of statutory preferences for veterans and local residents, mental and physical testing, and firing. See, e.g., 371 F.Supp. at 521-22; 365 F.Supp. at 661-62
10 See, e.g., June 27, 1975 Consent Decree (police case), App. at 122-23; April 17, 1975 Interim Consent Decree (fire case), App. at 93
11 Mass.Gen.Laws Ann. ch. 31, § 39 provides in pertinent part:
12 Relevant portions of § 703(h) of Title VII provide:
13 As a threshold matter, we find that appellants did preserve the reverse discrimination argument for appeal by suggesting the applicability of the reasoning in Chance v. Board of Examiners & Bd. of Educ., 534 F.2d 993 (2d Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 965, 97 S.Ct. 2920, 53 L.Ed.2d 1060 (1977), at the July 30, 1981 hearing before Judge Caffrey
14 In response to an inquiry at oral argument, we have been informed that the earliest seniority date of minority police officers laid off is June 1980, and the earliest seniority date of laid-off white police officers is December 30, 1970. We have also been told that of the 258 police officers laid off, 34 are minority and that if it were not for the order of the district court, 130 minority officers, 126 white officers, and 2 oriental officers would have been laid off. As a result of the order, 81 minority officers were recalled so as to maintain the 11.7% minority representation in the department. On a percentage basis, the district court's order means that a little more than 13% of those laid off are members of the minority group
15 If a fire fighter or police officer with permanent civil service status is laid off as a result of a reduction in force, that individual will be placed on reemployment lists by the Director of Personnel Administration. A reemployment list establishes for a laid-off fire fighter or police officer the right to be certified to all municipalities for a period of two years from his layoff, ahead of all other persons eligible for appointment as police officers or fire fighters. Mass.Gen.Laws Ann. ch. 31, § 40. In addition, a police officer or fire fighter has the right to be reinstated to a vacancy within the department from which he was laid off for five years after the date of his termination-again with preference over all other eligible applicants. Mass.Gen.Laws Ann. ch. 31, § 39