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  • 8/8/2019 Newton v. Schwarzenegger, Defendant's reply to Motion for Summary Judgment and/or Partial Summary Judgment

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    KRONICK,

    MOSKOVITZ,

    TIEDEMANN &

    GIRARDATTORNEYSAT LAW

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    959402.1 Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    DAVID W. TYRA, SBN 116218KRISTIANNE T. SEARGEANT, SBN 245489KRONICK, MOSKOVITZ, TIEDEMANN & GIRARDA Law Corporation400 Capitol Mall, 27th FloorSacramento, California 95814Telephone: (916) 321-4500Facsimile: (916) 321-4555E-mail: [email protected]

    LINDA A. MAYHEW, Chief Counsel(A), SBN 155049WARREN C. STRACENER, Dep. Chief Counsel, SBN 127921WILL M. YAMADA, Labor Relations Counsel, SBN 226669DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION1515 S Street, North Building, Suite 400Sacramento, CA 95811-7258Telephone: (916) 324-0512Facsimile: (916) 323-4723E-mail: [email protected]

    Attorneys for Defendants/RespondentsGovernor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGERDEBBIE ENDSLEY, MATTHEW CATE, BERNARDWARNER and STEPHEN MAYBERG

    Exempted from Fees(Gov. Code 6103)

    UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

    SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION

    RICHARD T. NEWTON; FRANK M.MCNEAL; and SEAN A. BEATON,

    Plaintiffs/Petitioners,

    v.

    ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, et al.,

    Defendants/Respondents.

    CASE NO. 3:09-cv-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TOPLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TOMOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENTAND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARYJUDGMENT

    Date: January 13, 2011Time: 10:00 a.m.

    Ctrm: 6, 17th FloorChief Judge Vaughn R. Walker

    Complaint Filed: December 16, 2009

    ///

    ///

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    KRONICK,

    MOSKOVITZ,

    TIEDEMANN &

    GIRARDATTORNEYSAT LAW

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    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Page

    - i - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    TABLE OF AUTHORITIES.......................................................................................................... ii

    I. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1

    II. ANALYSIS..........................................................................................................................2

    A. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted BecauseThere Is No Dispute Of Material Fact Establishing The Courts Lack OfJurisdiction Over This Matter..................................................................................2

    1. In their Complaint, Plaintiffs expressly limited their challenge tothe now expired furlough programs implemented after issuance ofExecutive Orders S-16-08 and S-13-09.......................................................2

    2. Defendants have not waived their immunity from suit................................3

    B. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted BecauseThere Is No Genuine Dispute of Material Fact Establishing Plaintiffs Were

    Not Compensated For All Hours Worked ...............................................................41. In addition to fully compensating employees for all hours worked,

    the States monthly assignment of furlough leave hours is anotherallowable form of compensation under the FLSA.......................................6

    C. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted BecauseThere Is No Genuine Dispute Of Material Fact Establishing PlaintiffsStanding To File Suit For FLSA Record Keeping Violations.................................9

    III. CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................11

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    KRONICK,

    MOSKOVITZ,

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    GIRARDATTORNEYSAT LAW

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    TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

    Page

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    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    FEDERAL CASES

    Anderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery Co.,328 U.S. 680 (1946).............................................................................................................9, 10

    Chevron U.S.A., Inc., v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.,

    467 U.S. 837 (1984)...................................................................................................................8

    Christensen v. Harris County,529 U.S. 576 (2000)...............................................................................................................8, 9

    Coleman v. Quaker Oats Co., 232 F.3d 1271 (9th Cir. 2000).........................................................3

    EEOC v. Arabian American Oil Co.,

    499 U.S. 244 (1991)...................................................................................................................8

    Elwell v. Univ. Hosps. Home Care Servs.,

    276 F.3d 832 (6th Cir. 2002) ...................................................................................................10

    Hill v. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland,

    179 F.3d 754 (9th Cir. 1999) .....................................................................................................3

    IBP, Inc. v. Alvarez,

    546 U.S. 21 (2005)...................................................................................................................10

    Johns v. Stewart,

    57 F.3d 1544 (10th Cir. 1995) ...................................................................................................3

    Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations, Inc.,975 F.2d 604 (9th Cir. 1992) .....................................................................................................3

    Martin v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Comm'n,499 U.S. 144 (1991)...................................................................................................................8

    Parker v. City of New York,

    2008 WL 2066443 (S.D.N.Y. 2008)..................................................................................7, 8, 9

    Pennhurst State School & Hosp. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89 (1984) .............................................3, 4

    Powell v. Florida,

    132 F.3d 677 (11th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 524 U.S. 916 (1998)..........................................10

    Reno v. Koray,

    515 U.S. 50, 132 L. Ed. 2d 46, 115 S. Ct. 2021 (1995).............................................................8

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    TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

    (continued)

    Page

    - iii - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    S&W Enterprises, L.L.C. v. South Trust Bank of Alabama, NA,

    315 F.3d 533 (5th Cir. 2003) .....................................................................................................3

    Skidmore v. Swift & Co.,323 U.S. 134, 89 L. Ed. 124, 65 S. Ct. 161 (1944)....................................................................8

    Verizon Maryland Inc., v. Public Service Commn of Maryland, et al.,535 U.S. 635 (2002)...................................................................................................................2

    STATE CASES

    Professional Engineers in California Government v. Schwarzenegger,

    50 Cal.4th 989 (2010)....................................................................................................1, 4, 5, 6

    FEDERAL STATUTES

    29 U.S.C. 211........................................................................................................................10, 11

    29 U.S.C. 215..............................................................................................................................10

    RULES

    Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16(b)..........................................................................................3

    REGULATIONS

    29 Code of Federal Regulations 553.28 ...........................................................................6, 7, 8, 9

    29 Code of Federal Regulations 778.315 .................................................................................5, 6

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    GIRARDATTORNEYSAT LAW

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    959402.1 - 2 - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    a heightened standard should be applied to furlough leave, as opposed to other types of leave like

    vacation and compensatory time off, has no basis in the law.

    Based on these arguments, as detailed below and in the papers already on file with

    this Court, Defendants respectfully request that this Court grant summary judgment in this action

    in favor of Defendants. Alternatively, Defendants request that this Court summarily adjudicate

    each and every claim alleged by Plaintiffs in their complaint in this action.

    II.

    ANALYSIS

    A. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted Because There IsNo Dispute Of Material Fact Establishing The Courts Lack Of Jurisdiction OverThis Matter.

    1. In their Complaint, Plaintiffs expressly limited their challenge to the nowexpired furlough programs implemented after issuance of Executive OrdersS-16-08 and S-13-09.

    Plaintiffs concede this Court can only issue declaratory relief against a State

    defendant for ongoing and continuous harm. See Pls Opp., Doc # 89 at 13-14. Plaintiffs

    further concede that in order to determine whether relief is prospective, the court should conduct

    a straightforward inquiry into whether [the] complaint alleges an ongoing violation of federal

    law . Pls Opp., Doc # 89 at 14 (quoting Verizon Maryland Inc., v. Public Service Commn of

    Maryland, et al., 535 U.S. 635, 645 (2002)). Here, a straightforward inquiry of Plaintiffs

    complaint finds Plaintiffs alleged that the two-day a month furlough program implemented

    pursuant to Executive Order S-16-08 expired by its own terms on June 30, 2010. See Pls

    Complaint, Doc # 1 at 5. In paragraph 10 of their complaint, Plaintiffs allege that the three-day a

    month furlough program implemented pursuant to Executive Order S-13-09 also expired by its

    own terms on June 30, 2010. Nowhere in Plaintiffs complaint do Plaintiffs allege any violation

    of law for the current furlough program implemented after pursuant to Executive Order S-12-10,

    nor did Plaintiffs amend their Complaint to include a challenge to the most recent furlough

    program.1

    1Defendants would be prejudiced if this Court allows Plaintiffs to amend their complaint at

    this stage of the proceedings. On April 1, 2010, pursuant to FRCP 26(f), the parties filed with

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    959402.1 - 3 - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    2. Defendants have not waived their immunity from suit.

    Contrary to Plaintiffs disingenuous claims that Defendants have acted in a way

    that is incompatible with an intent to preserve that immunity, (see Pls Opp., at 10) Defendants

    asserted Eleventh Amendment Sovereign Immunity as an affirmative defense in its answer.

    Ds Answer, Doc # 10 at 7. In paragraphs 1 and 11 of the parties initial joint case management

    conference statement, Defendants again asserted its affirmative defenses with respect to the

    courts jurisdiction and relief requested in this matter. Doc # 19 at 2, 5. Quite unlike the facts of

    the case relied on by Plaintiffs,Hill v. Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, 179 F.3d 754,

    758 (9th Cir. 1999), Defendants have made no attempt to litigate the case on the merits and

    then assert its immunity. Here, Defendants placed Plaintiffs on notice of their intent to challenge

    the courts jurisdiction from the beginning of this suit.

    As for Plaintiffs claims that Defendants participation in discovery, by way of

    defending deponents and producing requested discovery somehow waived Defendants immunity

    ignores the legal principles that defendants generally are not at liberty simply to refuse to

    participate in discovery and more importantly that the law requires waiver of immunity to be

    express. SeeJohns v. Stewart, 57 F.3d 1544, 1553 (10th Cir. 1995) citingPennhurst State School

    & Hosp. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89 (1984) (Thus, any waiver by the state of its Eleventh

    Amendment immunity must be unequivocal [citations omitted] a state may waive its Eleventh

    Amendment immunity only where stated by the most express language or by such

    overwhelming implication from the text [of a state statutory or constitutional provision] as [will]

    leave no room for any other reasonable construction. ). No such express waiver occurred here.

    this Court a joint scheduling report and case management conference statement wherein theparties agreed that no further amendments to pleadings would be filed. Doc # 19 at 3. Pursuantto Federal Rule of Civil Procedure section 16(b), once a deadline in a scheduling order has passedto amend pleadings, no party is permitted to amend its pleadings absent a showing of good causeand a modification of the scheduling order. FRCP 16(b)(4);Johnson v. Mammoth Recreations,Inc., 975 F.2d 604, 609 (9th Cir. 1992); Coleman v. Quaker Oats Co., 232 F.3d 1271, 1294 (9thCir. 2000). In order to satisfy the good cause standard, the moving party must demonstratecompelling reasons why an amendment could not have been made earlier. S&W Enterprises,L.L.C. v. South Trust Bank of Alabama, NA, 315 F.3d 533, 536 (5th Cir. 2003).

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    959402.1 - 4 - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    B. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted Because There IsNo Genuine Dispute of Material Fact Establishing Plaintiffs Were Not CompensatedFor All Hours Worked.

    In their motion for summary judgment filed contemporaneously with Defendants

    motion, Plaintiffs admit that the complained of furlough programs were implemented as a salary

    reduction. See Pls MSJ at 7:12-14, Doc # 77 at 11 (Although the furlough program is actually a

    reduction to time worked, it is functionally administered as a reduction to the salary rate used in

    the calculation of the pay made to employees. (emphasis added)); see also id. at 7:16-20, Doc #

    77 at 11 (To accomplish the functional reduction of the salary rate, and to continue to reflect the

    actual appointment or base salary rate for employees, Defendant Department of Personnel

    Administration (DPA) established a negative furlough pay differential to be applied to the base

    salary rate The furlough pay differential reduces the employees base salary rate to achieve the

    furlough pay reduction. (emphasis added)). Plaintiffs also admit in their motion for summary

    judgment that compensation reduced by the negative salary differential still yields pay well in

    excess of the federal minimum wage. See Pls MSJ at 8:5-11, Doc # 77 at 12. Only in their

    opposition to Defendants motion do Plaintiffs belatedly argue that furloughs are not a salary

    reduction. Plaintiffs make no attempt to explain their diametrically opposed shift in argument.

    Rather, Plaintiffs attempt to distinguish the California Supreme Courts holding inProfessional

    Engineers in California Government v. Schwarzenegger, supra, 50 Cal.4th 989 by arguing that

    Plaintiffs here, unlike those inProfessional Engineers, are unable to utilize furlough leave

    because of the 24-hour nature of the correctional facilities and therefore it cannot be interpreted as

    a salary reduction. Plaintiffs argument ignores the Courts reasoning.

    InProfessional Engineers, the Supreme Court found that through the budget

    process, the Legislature approved an across the board salary reduction for State employees.

    Professional Engineers in California Government v. Schwarzenegger, supra, 50 Cal.4th 989.

    The Court did not distinguish between employees who took self-directed furloughs or those

    whose offices were closed on specific days. The Court inProfessional Engineers held that in

    enacting the Revised Budget Act of 2008, the Legislature validated the then-existing furlough

    program. Professional Engineers, 50 Cal.4th at 1047-1048. The Supreme Court stated that the

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    959402.1 - 5 - Case No. 3:09-cv-09-05887-VRW

    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    legislative history of the Budget Act of 2008 makes it abundantly clear the Legislature

    contemplated that the reduction in appropriations for employee compensation could be

    achieved through the furlough plan that was then in existence. Id. at 1047. The then-existing

    furlough program was the furlough program that existed on February 19, 2009. The furlough

    program that existed on February 19, 2009, was the program implemented by the DPA pursuant

    to Executive Order S-16-08. Thus, the then-existing furlough plan at the time that the

    Legislature passed the Revised Budget Act of 2008, and validated the furlough program, included

    employees at all state agencies and departments, regardless of whether the employees took self-

    directed furlough leave or had assigned office closures.

    Plaintiffs go to great lengths to argue that the FLSA requires payment of straight

    time wages before payment of overtime wages. Defendants do not dispute that contention. That

    contention, however, is not relevant to this suit. Plaintiffs offer no evidence they were not

    compensated for straight time hours worked. By reducing the employees salary across the

    board, all hours worked were compensated, just at a reduced rate. Plaintiffs convoluted

    argument that specific straight-time hours worked were not compensated in violation of 29

    Code of Federal Regulations section 778.315 is belied by the evidence submitted by Plaintiffs in

    support of their motion for summary judgment. Linda Matsuda, Bureau Chief for the State

    Controllers Office, testified that the furlough program resulted in a negative percentage-based

    differential being applied to employees base pay. See Ex. 7 to Decl. of Jim Harrison, Doc # 78-

    7 at 10. Ms. Matsuda also testified that with respect to the class of Plaintiffs, a lower pay rate

    was used as a basis for calculating employees compensation. Id. at 14. She testified that the

    rate that the payroll system uses to calculate an employees compensation was changed. Id. at

    16. PML 2009-007, issued by the Department of Personnel Administration on February 3, 2009,

    also described the administration of the furlough program as an adjustment to the employees

    base salary. See Ex. 14 to Decl. of Jim Harrison, Doc # 78-14 at 3. In a February 5, 2009

    memorandum from the State Controllers Office, the department tasked with operating the States

    payroll, the SCO explains that a pay differential will be added to the employee employment

    history (EH) records to reduce the base rate by an average percentage equivalent to the two

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    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    furlough days. See Ex. 15 to Harrison Decl., Doc # 78-15 at 2.

    Defendants implementation of the relevant furlough programs was administered

    as an across the board salary reduction for State employees. Plaintiffs pay for straight time hours

    is controlled exclusively by the California Legislature. The California Legislature through the

    Revised Budget Act of 2008 passed in February 2009 and the Revised Budget Act of 2009 passed

    in July 2009 reduced the straight time pay for all state employees including those employees who

    participate in self-directed furloughs. Professional Engineers in California Government v.

    Schwarzenegger, supra, 50 Cal.4th 989. These reductions enacted by the Legislature modified

    the pay provided to Plaintiffs for straight time hours and constitutes the new applicable statute

    referenced in 29 Code of Federal Regulations section 778.315. Plaintiffs offer no evidence that

    specific hours worked went uncompensated. Defendants motion for summary judgment should

    be granted because there are no disputed material facts establishing Plaintiffs were not paid for all

    hours worked.

    1. In addition to fully compensating employees for all hours worked, the Statesmonthly assignment of furlough leave hours is another allowable form ofcompensation under the FLSA.

    Plaintiffs err in contending 29 Code of Federal Regulations section 553.28 is

    limited only to non-statutory or contractual overtime or only for hours outside their regular work

    schedule. Pls Opp. at 13:11-16; 14:5-10, Doc # 89 at 17-18. Such an interpretation ignores the

    plain language of the regulation and is unsupported by any authority limiting the section in such a

    manner. Section 553.28(c) provides other compensatory time may be paid for hours earned

    and accrued in excess of a standard established by the personnel policy or practice of any

    employer, or by custom[.] Nowhere in subsection (c) does the regulation limit such hours

    worked to overtime hours or hours in excess of a regular work schedule. The fact that Plaintiffs

    illustrated its argument with a single mere example drawn from a secondary source, while failing

    to provide any case or statutory authority to support its argument, demonstrates that Plaintiffs

    argument lacks legal support. Pls Opp. at 13, fn. 6, Doc # 89 at 17.

    Section 553.28s plain meaning cannot be interpreted as narrowly as Plaintiffs

    contend. To the contrary, the hours Plaintiffs spent working their allegedly unpaid straight time

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    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    hours falls squarely within section 553.28, subdivision (c) because those hours were worked in

    excess of the furlough policys reduced work schedule. Plaintiffs contend that section 553.28

    does not apply because Plaintiffs work schedules did not change from the schedule they worked

    prior to the furlough policys implementation. Pls Opp. at 14:26-28, Doc # 89 at 14. While the

    schedule may not have changed, the fact remains that Plaintiffs worked in excess of the reduced

    work schedule implemented by Defendants furlough policy. Plaintiffs themselves acknowledge

    Plaintiffs worked full schedules during the furlough program, despite the fact the furlough

    program implemented a reduction in work hours. Pls MSJ at 9:1-2, 17:9, Doc # 77 at 13, 21.

    In evidence submitted by Plaintiffs in support of their motion for summary judgment, Plaintiffs

    rely on a series of documents produced by DPA and the SCO regarding the implementation of

    furlough programs. PML 2009-007, issued on February 3, 2009, explains that [f]or posted

    positions in 24/7 facilities: management will work with employees to determine which two days

    in the month will be taken off. When this is not operationally feasible and would jeopardize

    security, health or safety, management will work with employees to select time off in the future.

    However, deferring furlough days for future use shall only be done after all other options have

    been evaluated and proven unworkable. See Ex. 14 to Harrison Decl., Doc # 78-14 at 2.

    Whether or not the hours at issue are deemed overtime or are hours worked outside of a regular

    schedule, no dispute exists that the hours at issue in this case were worked in excess of

    Defendants personnel policy or practice. Accordingly, section 553.28 authorizes providing for

    such hours in the form of other compensatory time.

    Second, contrary to Plaintiffs contention, section 553.28 applies even when

    overtime is worked in the same work period. Pls Opp. at 16:1, Doc # 89 at 20. Plaintiffs offer

    no authority to support its contention that section 553.28 is inapplicable during work periods

    where overtime was worked. Pls Opp. at 4:15-18, Doc # 89 at 8. InParker v. City of New York,

    the Southern District Court of New York determined that the defendant appropriately paid

    plaintiffs in the form of other compensatory time for non-overtime hours between 35 and 40 per

    workweek, even in workweeks where statutory overtime was worked. Parker v. City of New

    York, 2008 WL 2066443, *2-6 (S.D.N.Y. 2008). The plaintiffs inParkeralleged that non-

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    DEFENDANTS REPLY TO PLAINTIFFS OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND/OR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT

    overtime hours worked should have been paid in the form of cash when overtime was worked in

    the same workweek. Id. at 1. TheParkercourt found that payment of other compensatory time

    for the plaintiffs non-overtime hours worked was permissible, even when overtime was worked

    in the same workweek, stating, the Court finds that [29 C.F.R.] Section 553.28, read in its

    entirety, supports the position that the FLSA permits but does not require the use of compensatory

    time as compensation for gap-time hours in overtime workweeks. Id. at 4

    Plaintiffs reliance upon DOL Opinion Letter FLSA 2004-10 is also unavailing

    because the Opinion Letter, ostensibly discussing a minimum wage matter, made mere

    conclusory statements about the form of compensation for non-overtime hours worked. The

    Opinion Letters main focus discussed an employers obligation to comply with the FLSAs

    minimum wage requirements for non-overtime hours worked, and merely concluded, in dicta and

    without any analysis, that straight time compensation should be paid in cash. Furthermore, the

    Opinion Letter contains no discussion of the effect of section 553.28.

    The DOLs interpretation of its own federal regulations is not entitled Chevron-

    style deference. Chevron U.S.A., Inc., v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837

    (1984); see Christensen v. Harris County, 529 U.S. 576, 587 (2000) (Here, however, we

    confront an interpretation contained in an [DOL] opinion letter, not one arrived at after, for

    example, a formal adjudication or notice-and-comment rulemaking. Interpretations such as those

    in opinion letters do not warrant Chevron-style deferenceInstead, interpretations contained

    in formats such as opinion letters are entitled to respect under our decision in Skidmore v. Swift

    & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 140, 89 L. Ed. 124, 65 S. Ct. 161 (1944), but only to the extent that those

    interpretations have the power to persuade, ibid. (citingReno v. Koray, 515 U.S. 50, 61, 132 L.

    Ed. 2d 46, 115 S. Ct. 2021 (1995);EEOC v. Arabian American Oil Co., 499 U.S. 244, 256-258,

    (1991); Martin v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Comm'n, 499 U.S. 144, 157 (1991); 1

    K. Davis & R. Pierce, Administrative Law Treatise 3.5 (3d ed. 1994))). In fact, addressing the

    same opinion letter cited by Plaintiffs here, and indeed, the same language quoted in Plaintiffs

    Opposition, theParkercourt expressly declined to defer to the DOLs interpretation, finding the

    opinion letters conclusory statements related to the form of compensation for non-overtime

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    hours worked were unpersuasive because section 553.28 is unmistakably and unambiguously

    permissive rather than mandatory. See Christensen, 529 U.S. at 587-88 (declining to defer to

    DOL's interpretation of a regulation contained in an opinion letter where DOL interpreted a

    permissive regulation as prohibiting a mandatory compensatory time usage policy). Parker,

    2008 WL 2066443 at *5.

    Finally, Plaintiffs cite no authority in support of its proposition that section 553.28

    is limited only to contractual overtime hours. Plaintiffs near-verbatim recitation of a single

    example of other compensatory time from a non-current edition of a privately published book

    on the Fair Labor Standards Act cannot substitute for the plain wording of the regulation, or be

    interpreted as a mandatory, blanket limitation upon the compensation permitted by section

    553.28. Pls Opp. at 13 n. 6, Doc # 89 at 17 (citing The FLSA Users Manual, 3d Ed. by Will

    Aitchison (2002) at 161-64).

    Neither Plaintiffs nor Defendants dispute that some Plaintiffs worked overtime

    hours during the time the furlough policy was in effect. Neither Plaintiffs nor Defendants dispute

    that the furlough policy implemented a reduced work schedule program, and, in some instances,

    Plaintiffs worked hours in excess of the standard established by that program. However,

    Plaintiffs err in contending they were deprived straight time compensation for those excess hours

    worked because each hour was compensated, just at a reduce rate, and additionally, Plaintiffs

    received compensation for those excess hours in the form of paid time off or other compensatory

    time as allowed under section 553.28.

    C. Defendants Motion For Summary Judgment Should Be Granted Because There IsNo Genuine Dispute Of Material Fact Establishing Plaintiffs Standing To File SuitFor FLSA Record Keeping Violations.

    Plaintiffs Opposition fails to address Defendants underlying contention that

    Plaintiffs lack standing to bring an action alleging violation of the FLSAs recordkeeping

    requirements. Instead, Plaintiffs merely assert this Court is not precluded from recognizing the

    violation if the Court views the instant case from the perspective ofAnderson v. Mt. Clemens

    Pottery Co., 328 U.S. 680 (1946). Pls Opp. at 12:25-27, Doc # 89 at 16. Plaintiffs failure to

    address the standing argument, while simultaneously relying on a case that has since been

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    superseded by statute, confirms Plaintiffs inability to seek relief upon its third cause of action.

    That Plaintiffs are barred from alleging a violation of the recordkeeping provisions

    of 29 United States Code section 211, subdivision (c) is undisputed. The FLSA expressly vests

    the Secretary of Labor with the exclusive authority to enforce any alleged violations of the

    recordkeeping requirements. Elwell v. Univ. Hosps. Home Care Servs., 276 F.3d 832, 843 (6th

    Cir. 2002). Under section 217, the Secretary of Labor is empowered to initiate injunction

    proceedings to restrain any violation of 29 United States Code section 215, including section 215,

    subdivision (a)(5). Powell v. Florida, 132 F.3d 677, 678 (11th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 524 U.S.

    916 (1998). Section 215(a)(5) makes it unlawful for an employer to fail to comply with the

    recordkeeping requirements contained in Section 211, subdivision (c). Id.

    Plaintiffs reliance onAnderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery Co., 328 U.S. 680 (1946),

    to support its recordkeeping argument is inapposite. Notwithstanding thatAnderson has been

    superseded by statute2, the Court inAnderson did not discuss the FLSAs recordkeeping

    violations as a separate cause of action. Instead, as Plaintiffs Opposition points out, the

    Anderson Court merely stated that where the employer failed to maintain accurate records, the

    employer cannot object to the lack of precision inherent in the calculation of damages for unpaid

    overtime. Anderson v. Mt. Clemens Pottery Co., 328 U.S. 680, 688 (1946). Plaintiffs action for

    prospective declaratory relief in the instant case precludes the calculation or award of back-pay.

    Moreover, the instant action seeks separate and independent declaratory relief on the FLSAs

    recordkeeping statutes. Plaintiffs argument fails because Plaintiffs erroneously conflate a

    separate, independent cause of action seeking declaratory relief upon a violation of the FLSAs

    recordkeeping provisions with unrelated case authority describing how to calculate back-pay

    damages.

    Even if Plaintiffs had the right to enforce the FLSA recordkeeping requirements, a

    claim Defendants deny, Defendants have not violated any of the requirements under section 211,

    subdivision (c). The FLSA requires the following information be maintained as part of an

    employees basic records, which include: (1) full name and social security number; (2) address

    2SeeIBP, Inc. v. Alvarez, 546 U.S. 21, 41 (2005)

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    with zip code; (3) birth date if employer is younger than 19; (4) sex and occupation; (5) time and

    day of week when employees workweek begins; (6) hours worked each day; (7) total hours

    worked each workweek; (8) basis on which employees wages are paid; (9) regular hourly pay

    rate; (10) total daily or weekly straight time earning; (11) total overtime earnings for the

    workweek; (12) all additions to or deductions from the employees wages; (13) total wages paid

    each pay period; and (14) date of payment and the pay period covered by the payment. 29 U.S.C.

    211, subd. (c). There is nothing in the statute or case law, which requires the Defendants to

    demarcate the corresponding pay period. Accordingly, Defendants motion for summary

    judgment and/or partial summary judgment should be granted because Plaintiffs lack standing to

    bring this claim

    III.

    CONCLUSION

    For the foregoing reasons, State Defendants motion for summary judgment be

    granted in its entirety.

    Dated: December 30, 2010 KRONICK, MOSKOVITZ, TIEDEMANN & GIRARDA Law Corporation

    By: /s/ David W. TyraDavid W. TyraKristianne T. SeargeantAttorneys for Defendants/RespondentsGovernor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER,DEBBIE ENDSLEY, MATTHEW CATE,BERNARD WARNER and STEPHEN MAYBERG

    Dated: December 30, 2010 DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION

    By: /s/ Will M. YamadaWill M. YamadaAttorneys for Defendants/RespondentsGovernor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER,DEBBIE ENDSLEY, MATTHEW CATE,BERNARD WARNER and STEPHEN MAYBERG

    Case3:09-cv-05887-VRW Document95 Filed12/30/10 Page15 of 15