Felt
Felt v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.
Opinion
Opinion
Baird, J.
ORDER
Pending before the Court are Defendant’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, Defendant’s motion for summary judgment, and Plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment.
After considering the papers filed by the parties and all other relevant materials in the record, the Court hereby issues the following Order:
I. DEFENDANT’S MOTION TO DISMISS FOR LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION
A. The Railway Labor Act
A short synopsis of the factual background of this matter provides a useful context for consideration of the pending motion.
Plaintiff James Felt filed suit against Defendant, his former employer, in July, 1992, alleging religious discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e, et seq. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant violated the provisions of the Act by not respecting Plaintiffs religious beliefs; as a Seventh Day Adventist, Plaintiff may not work on Saturdays.
Plaintiff was a clerical employee of Defendant from 1971 until 1983, when he was laid off as part of a reduction in force. Still, under the terms of the relevant agreement between Defendant and Plaintiffs union (the “BRAC”—the Brotherhood of…