Bielec v. United States

• Decision Date: 17 March 1972
• Docket Number: 111-67,113-67,112-67,No. 110-67,114-67,115-67 and 116-67.,110-67
• Citation: Bielec v. United States, 456 F.2d 690, 197 Ct.Cl. 550 (Fed. Cl. 1972)
• Parties: William F. BIELEC v. The UNITED STATES. John H. BLISARD v. The UNITED STATES. Seldon VAN BUSKIRK v. The UNITED STATES. Herbert MUKHALIAN v. The UNITED STATES. Albert SCHOOLEY v. The UNITED STATES. James A. SITLEY v. The UNITED STATES. Phillip STEINMAN v. The UNITED STATES.
• Court: U.S. Claims Court

197 Ct. Cl. 550, 456 F.2d 690 (1972)

William F. BIELEC v. The UNITED STATES.

John H. BLISARD v. The UNITED STATES.

Seldon VAN BUSKIRK v. The UNITED STATES.

Herbert MUKHALIAN v. The UNITED STATES.

Albert SCHOOLEY v. The UNITED STATES.

James A. SITLEY v. The UNITED STATES.

Phillip STEINMAN v. The UNITED STATES.

Nos. 110-67, 111-67, 112-67, 113-67, 114-67, 115-67 and 116-67.

United States Court of Claims.

March 17, 1972.

John Edward Sheridan, Philadelphia, Pa., for plaintiffs; Byron N. Scott, Washington, D. C., atty. of record. Van A. Stilley, Washington, D. C., of counsel.

Judith A. Yannello, Washington, D. C., with whom was Asst. Atty. Gen. L. Patrick Gray, III, for defendant.

Before COWEN, Chief Judge, LARAMORE, Senior Judge, and DAVIS, COLLINS, SKELTON, NICHOLS and KASHIWA, Judges.

ON PLAINTIFFS' MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DEFENDANT'S CROSS MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

SKELTON, Judge.

The plaintiffs, William F. Bielec, John H. Blisard, Seldon Van Buskirk, Herbert Mukhalian, Albert Schooley, James A. Sitley, and Phillip Steinman, filed separate suits against the United States, which were consolidated for trial because all of them involved the same issues. The facts are stipulated by the parties.

The plaintiffs are all career civil service employees in the Department of Defense. They claim entitlement to promotions to higher grades and ranks in the service by reason of an alleged upgrading of positions they were temporarily occupying without a corresponding promotion of the plaintiffs to higher grades. They claim that such promotions are mandatory under the law. We have concluded that the plaintiffs are not entitled to recover.

The facts on which the plaintiffs base their claims are generally as follows.

On October 11, 1963, the Department of Defense directed a Pilot Test for the Defense Contract Administration Services Region (DCASR) and on November 30, 1963, designated Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the Pilot Test. On February 28, 1964, authorities were delegated and functional responsibilities were assigned to DCASR pilot test and DCASR became operative on April 20, 1964. Plaintiffs were detailed effective April 20, 1964, for a period not to exceed October 20, 1964, from the various military departments to DCASR, with duties commensurate with their former positions, as follows:

                                TABLE I
                ____________________________________________________________________________
                            |                                   |
                  Name      |  Former Regular Position          |   DCASR Detail Position
                ____________|___________________________________|___________________________
                            |                                   |
                Bielec _____| GS-1104-11, Chief, Property       | GS-1104-11, Property
                            |  Disposal Function,               | Disposal Office served as
                            |  Administrative Services Office.  | Chief, Plant Clearance
                            |                                   | Branch Industrial Services
                            |                                   | Division
                            |                                   |
                Blisard ____| GS-1903-12, Supervisory Quality   | GS-1150-13, Supervisory
                            |  Control Specialist.              | Quality Control Specialist
                            |                                   | served as Chief, Control
                            |                                   | Branch, Quality Assurance
                            |                                   | Directorate, Planning and
                            |                                   | Review Division
                            |                                   |
                Van Buskirk | GS-1150-13, Supervisory           | GS-1102-13, Supervisory
                            |  Industrial Specialist (General). | Industrial Specialist
                            |                                   | (General) served as
                            |                                   | Deputy Director of
                            |                                   | Production Directorate
                            |                                   |
                Mukhalian __| GS-1102-13, Supervisory Contract  | GS-1102-13, Supervisory
                            |  Price Analyst.                   | Contract Price Analyst
                            |                                   | acted as Chief
                            |                                   | Financial Services
                            |                                   | Division
                            |                                   |
                Schooley ___| GS-1102-12, Supervisory Contract  | GS-1102-12, Supervisory
                            |  Price Analyst.                   | Contract Price Analyst
                            |                                   | acted as Chief, Price
                            |                                   | Cost Analysis Branch.
                            |                                   |
                Sitley _____| GS-1102-14, Supervisory Contract  | GS-1102-14, Supervisory
                            |  Specialist.                      | Contract Specialist
                            |                                   | served as Deputy
                            |                                   | Executive Director.
                            |                                   |
                Steinman ___| GS-1104-9, Property Disposal      | GS-1104-9, Property
                            |  Assistant.                       | Disposal Assistant
                            |                                   | served as Plant Clearance
                            |                                   | Officer for region of
                            |                                   | Pittsburgh area and
                            |                                   | Western Pennsylvania.
                ____________|___________________________________|__________________________
                

On September 1, 1964, DCASR became a permanent field activity of the Defense Supply Agency. Effective November 1, 1964, plaintiffs were, because of a transfer of their functions, transferred permanently to DCASR.

On April 15, 1965, the first Joint Table of Distribution was issued and became effective for DCASR. This table organized for the first time on a permanent basis the positions and the personnel previously transferred to DCASR, including the plaintiffs, and those to be later placed in the agency. Upon the issuance of the Joint Table, the plaintiffs were assigned positions listed in the following table under the heading. "Position Assignment Under Joint Table." (The plaintiffs had previously accepted positions with DCASR as shown under the heading "Position Assignment Effective November 1, 1964".) The plaintiffs were not satisfied with the assignments given to them under the Joint Table, but claimed they were entitled to assignments to higher positions as shown in the table below under the heading "Position Sought by Plaintiff:"

                                TABLE II
                ____________________________________________________________________________
                           |                      |                     |
                           | Position Assignment  | Position Assignment | Positions Sought
                   Name    | Effective November   |  Under Joint Table  |   by Plaintiffs
                           |       1, 1964        |                     |
                ___________|______________________|_____________________|___________________
                           |                      |                     |
                Bielec ____| Job No. CR-36-S,     | Job No. CR-952-S,   | GS-12, Chief
                           |  GS-1104-11,         |  GS-1104-11,        | Plant Clearance
                           |  Supervisory         |  Supervisory        | Branch.
                           |  Property Disposal   |  Property Disposal  |
                           |  Officer served     |  Officer served as |
                           |  as Section Chief    |  Program Area       |
                           |  Chief, Plant        |  Supervisor Plant   |
                           |  Clearance Branch.   |  Clearance Branch.  |
                           |                      |                     |
                Blisard ___| Job No. CR-599-S,    | Job No. CR-985, GS- | Job No. CR-938,
                           | GR-1903-12,          |  1903-12, Quality   |  GS-13 (Chief,
                           | Supervisory Quality  |  Control Specialist |  Plans Branch) or
                           | Control Specialist   |  Plans supervisory).|  Job No. CR-986-S,
                           | served as Branch    |                     |  GS-13 (Chief,
                           | Chief, Control and   |                     |  Program Branch).
                           | Analysis Branch of   |                     |
                           | Plans and Review     |                     |
                           | Div.                |                     |
                           |                      |                     |
                VanBuskirk | Job No. CR-582-S,    | Job No. CR-939-S,   | Job No. CR-938,
                           | GS-1150-13           |  GS-1150-13,        |  GS-15, Deputy
                           | Supervisory          |  Supervisory        |  Director,
                           | Industrial           |  Industrial         |  Directorate of
                           | Specialist           |  Specialist         |  Production.
                           | (General)            |  (General)          |
                           | served as           |  (as Deputy Chief,  |
                           | Deputy Chief,        |  Management and     |
                           | Directorate of       |  Procedures         |
                           | Production          |  Division,          |
                           | Duties as           |  Directorate of     |
                           | defined in           |  Production.       |
                           | CR-44-S.            |                     |
                           |                      |                     |
                Mukhalian _| Job No. CR-134-S,    | Job No. CR-16-S,    | Job No. CR-84-S,
                           | GS-1102-13,          |  GS-1102-13,        |  GS-14, Chief,
                           | Supervisory Contract |  Supervisory        |  Financial
                           | Price Analyst        |  Contract Price     |  Services
                           | served as Deputy    |  Analyst served    |  Division.
                           | Chief, Financial     |  as Chief, Price/   |
                           | Services Division.  |  Cost Analysis      |
                           |                      |  Branch             |
                           |                      |  Directorate of     |
                           |                      |  Contract           |
                           |                      |  Administration.   |
                           |

...