Opinion ID: 784946
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Torres-Lopez and Bonnette

Text: 52 Moreau would have us analogize Air France to the Torres-Lopez farm owners and the ground handling service companies to the farm's labor contractors. See Torres-Lopez, 111 F.3d at 642-644. He argues that the district court erred by applying only the four-factor test from Bonnette, and argues that it should have employed the more expansive considerations from Torres-Lopez. He contends that the Bonnette considerations are overly restrictive in the FMLA joint employer context, as an indirect or secondary employer will almost never satisfy these criteria, which are more the responsibilities of the primary employer. See 29 C.F.R. § 825.106(c). While this may be true, Air France is correct that even if we apply the expanded Torres-Lopez test, the totality of the circumstances and the economic reality of the situation still leave us with the conclusion that Air France should not be considered a joint employer. 53 We begin by considering the Bonnette factors, which roughly correspond to the Torres-Lopez regulatory factors. Bonnette, 704 F.2d at 1470; Torres-Lopez, 111 F.3d at 642. Air France lacked the ability to hire or fire ground handling company employees, it did not determine the rate or method of pay for these employees, and it did not keep employment records for these employees. It did not set or control the employees' work schedules, 5 working conditions, or establish conditions upon which the employees would receive payment. 54 There is no indication that Air France had the authority to directly control any of the workers, but would instead communicate any complaints about performance to the service company's supervisors. Air France was, however, very specific about how it wanted its work performed, and it checked to ensure that its standards were met and that the service provider's overall performance adhered to Air France's specifications. This type of activity can, in some situations, constitute indirect supervision of the employees' performance. See Torres-Lopez, 111 F.3d at 642-43. It is, however, noteworthy that in this case, much of the indirect supervision or control exercised by Air France over the ground handling employees was purportedly to ensure compliance with various safety and security regulations, such as ensuring that food equipment was properly stowed or that the plane's load was adequately balanced. Any airline that is concerned about its passengers' safety would be remiss to simply delegate a task to another party and not double-check to verify that the task was done properly. We therefore believe that the purported control or supervision alleged by Moreau in this case is qualitatively different from the farmworker situation in Torres-Lopez. 55 We also note that even if Air France's actions in specifying the work to be performed and following up to ensure adequate performance do constitute some control over the work or working conditions of the employee, 29 C.F.R. § 825.106(a), the regulations do not say that a joint employment relationship is necessarily formed, as Moreau seems to argue. Rather, the regulations indicate only that in such circumstances, the businesses may be joint employers under FMLA, id. (emphasis added), but that the entire relationship is to be viewed in its totality. 29 C.F.R. § 825.106(b). When viewed in context, the supervision/control by Air France was minimal in contrast to numerous other factors which negate finding a joint employment relationship on these facts. 56 Turning to the non-regulatory factors of Torres-Lopez, they also generally counsel against finding Air France to be a joint employer. 111 F.3d at 643-44. The service contracts were negotiated and quite specific; there is no indication they could simply be passed on to another contractor. The service work was primarily performed on the premises of the ground handling companies or the airport tarmac, with some minimal (and obviously essential) contact with the Air France airplane during loading or cleaning, which usually consisted of only 30 to 45 minutes of work. Cf. id. at 643. 57 The ground companies also invested significant capital in expensive equipment such as forklifts, kitchen equipment, and so forth. This is in stark contrast to the farmworker situation in Torres-Lopez, in which the grower owned or leased the land on which the work was performed and supplied the expensive farm equipment, with the exception of simple, hand-held tools. Id. at 643-44. Although Air France provided some equipment, such as the food trays and baggage pallets, this equipment was minimal in comparison to the large kitchen equipment or heavy cargo loading equipment found on the ground. It is also obvious why the ground companies would not provide these items, which would be transported to a foreign country and out of the ground companies' control. 58 Unlike the farmworkers, the ground handling employees did have a business organization that could and did shift as a unit from one carrier to another. Cf. id. at 644. All of the ground handling companies serviced multiple carriers; many of the individual employees worked for multiple carriers in a given work day. The SkyChef employees were even unionized. 59 The skill level required of the workers varied widely depending on the job performed, and thus it is not clear that this factor cuts either way. Cf. id. Obviously, the position of master chef requires more skill than the position of a baggage handler, but even baggage handlers required some specialized training. In addition, and in contrast to the farm laborers, the ground company employees did have an opportunity for profit or promotion based on their managerial skill, and such promotions occurred within the ground handling companies, and not Air France. Cf. id. 60 The longevity of the working relationship varied from company to company and employee to employee. Cf. id. It appears that the same chef worked on the Air France account for some time; the Aeroground warehouse employees, however, turned over rather frequently. This factor does not weigh heavily in either direction. 61 The remaining Torres-Lopez considerations focus on whether the work was an integral part of the alleged employer's business. Id. at 643-44. We question whether or not this factor translates well outside of the production line employment situation; we also doubt that many of the functions, such as food service or cargo transport, are actually integral to a passenger airline. But even if we accept Moreau's characterization of the various services as essential to the airline, this factor (even if coupled with Air France's indirect supervision of employees) does not outweigh the numerous significant factors discussed above, which weigh heavily against finding a joint employer relationship.