Smith v. Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
Smith v. Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
Plaintiff Thelma Smith (“Smith”) brought this action to recover unemployment compensation benefits under the Emergency Jobs and Unemployment Assistance Act of 1974, P.L. 93-567, Title II— Special Unemployment Assistance Program (“SUA”). Defendant Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review (“PUCB”) is a departmental administrative board of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and is responsible, pursuant to the authority of 43 P.S. § 763, for making the final determination on appeals arising from claims for unemployment compensation. Presently before the Court are the motions of PUCB to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and for failure
The facts pertinent to this Opinion are as follows: Smith was employed by the Chester County Head Start program during the school year for a period of approximately three years. She last worked there on May 30, 1975. During this three-year period, Smith was also employed from May, 1974, through August, 1974, on a part-time basis, at the Strawbridge and Clothier department store, where she earned a total of $490. On June 2,1975, Smith applied to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Employment Security (“Bureau”) for unemployment compensation benefits. The Bureau determined that Smith’s employment under the Head Start program was not “covered” employment within the meaning of § 4 of the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Act (“PUCA”), 43 P.S. § 753(7 )(4)(8)(c),
the Bureau, pursuant to § 4(a)(2) PUCA, established Smith’s base year
In her complaint, Smith alleges that she was erroneously denied SUA benefits by PUCB, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and SUA. She requests relief in the form of an award of benefits under SUA or, in the alternative, that PUCB be enjoined from
PUCB filed a motion to dismiss the complaint pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1), on the grounds that this Court: (1) lacks subject matter jurisdiction because of the 11th Amendment; (2) lacks pendent jurisdiction because there is no independent basis of federal jurisdiction; and, (3) lacks jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1337 for Smith’s claim under SUA, because SUA is not an “act regulating commerce” within the meaning of § 1337. PUCB also filed a motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) on the grounds that Smith failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted under § 1983 or SUA.
Smith concedes that she has failed to state a claim against PUCB pursuant to § 1983 upon which relief can be granted because PUCB is not a “person” within the meaning of § 1983 and that issue is, therefore, no longer before us. Of the remaining issues raised by PUCB’s motions, only those relating to Smith’s SUA claim and our jurisdiction over her SUA claim pursuant to § 1337 require discussion.
28 U.S.C. § 1337 provides a basis of federal court jurisdiction over federal “acts regulating commerce.” The issue of whether SUA is an “act regulating commerce” within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 1337, so as to provide a basis for federal jurisdiction, is, as far as we can determine, one of first impression. However, we need not decide the jurisdictional issue because we find, for the reasons stated below, that Smith’s SUA claim is so insubstantial and frivolous, and so clearly fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, that, even if we were to determine that this Court had an initial basis of federal jurisdiction pursuant to § 1337, this Court would be divested of that jurisdiction by virtue of the insubstantiality of Smith’s claim. See Hagans v. Lavine, 415 U.S. 528, 536-538 and 560, 94 S.Ct. 1372, 39 L.Ed.2d 577 (1973) (Rehnquist, J., dissenting); Coggins v. McQueen, 447 F.Supp. 960 at 965 (E.D.Pa. 1978). See also Norton v. Mathews, 427 U.S. 524, 530-531, 96 S.Ct. 2771, 49 L.Ed.2d 672 (1976).
Turning to the merits of Smith’s SUA claim, she alleges that SUA, as a federal unemployment compensation act, super-cedes and preempts state unemployment compensation laws. More specifically, Smith argues that § 203 SUA preempts § 4(a)(2) PUCA to the extent of defining the applicable base-year period. If the SUA base-year criteria had been applied, Smith argues, her base year would have been defined as the period from June 3, 1974, through June 2, 1975, rather than from January, 1974, through December, 1974, as it was defined by PUCB, and that, pursuant to 43 P.S. § 801(a),
A plain reading of SUA clearly reveals that it was enacted as emergency stopgap legislation intended to provide temporary federal unemployment compensation benefits for workers who were unemployed and not eligible for unemployment compensation benefits under any other law. § 201 SUA.
. 43 P.S. § 753(i)(4)(8)(c) provides, in pertinent part:
())(1) “Employment” means all personal service performed for remuneration by an individual under any contract of hire, express or implied, written or oral, including service in interstate commerce, and service as an officer of a corporation .
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(4) The word “employment” shall not include—
(8)(a) Service performed in the employ of (i) a church or convention or association of churches or (ii) an organization which is operated primarily for religious purposes and which is operated, supervised, controlled or principally supported by a church or convention or association of churches; or .
(c) In the employ of a school (public or nonprofit) which is not an institution of higher education
. An award of benefits under Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation law is based on a determination of the claimant’s "base year,” which in turn is based on a determination of the claimant’s “benefit year.” § 401 PUCA, 43 P.S. §§ 801, 804. Pursuant to 43 P.S. § 753, these terms are defined as:
(a) “Base Year” means the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual’s benefit year.
(b) “Benefit Year” with respect to an individual who files or has filed a “Valid Application for Benefits” means the one-year period beginning with the day as of which such “Valid Application for Benefits” is filed, and thereafter the one-year period beginning with the day as of which such individual next files a “Valid Application for Benefits” after the termination of his last benefit year. . . '.
Once the claimant’s base year period has been determined, compensation is payable to those individuals who meet the employment and wage requirements of 43 P.S. § 801, which provides, in pertinent part:
Compensation shall be payable to any employe who is or becomes unemployed, and who—
(a) Has, within his base year, been paid wages for employment as required by section 404(c) of this act: ... (2) an employe whose base year wages are less than six hundred dollars ($600.00) shall not be eligible under the provisions of this subsection unless such wages were earned during eighteen (18) different weeks within such base year, which weeks need not be consecutive
. The Court notes that 42 U.S.C. § 1983 is not a jurisdictional provision.
. See note 2, supra.
. Section 201 SUA states:
It is the purpose of this title to establish a temporary Federal program of special unemployment assistance for workers who are unemployed during a period of aggravated unemployment and who are not otherwise eligible for unemployment allowances under any other law.
. Section 203 SUA states, in pertinent part:
An individual shall be eligible to receive a payment of assistance or waiting period credit with respect to a week of unemployment occurring during and subsequent to a special unemployment assistance period in accordance with the provisions of this title if— (1) the individual is not eligible for compensation under any State or Federal unemployment compensation law . . . with respect to such week of unemployment . . . : Provided, That the individual meets the qualifying employment and wage requirements of the applicable State unemployment compensation law . . . and, for the purpose of this proviso, employment and wages which are not covered by the State law shall be treated as though they were covered, except that employment and wages covered by any State or Federal unemployment compensation law . . . shall be excluded to the extent that the individual is or was entitled to compensation for unemployment thereunder on the basis of such employment and wages
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Thelma SMITH v. PENNSYLVANIA UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION BOARD OF REVIEW
- Status
- Published