05a10011
01-05-2001
Glenn D. Henry, Complainant, v. Craven H. Crowell, Jr., Chairman, Tennessee Valley Authority, Agency.
Glenn D. Henry v. Tennessee Valley Authority
05A10011
January 5, 2001
.
Glenn D. Henry,
Complainant,
v.
Craven H. Crowell, Jr.,
Chairman,
Tennessee Valley Authority,
Agency.
Request No. 05A10011
Appeal No. 01983147
Agency No. EO 0109-97084
DENIAL OF REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION
The complainant initiated a request to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC or Commission) to reconsider the decision in Glenn
D. Henry v. Tennessee Valley Authority, EEOC Appeal No. 01983147
(September 5, 2000).<1> In his complaint, complainant alleged that the
agency discriminated against him on the basis of age (41) when: (1) he was
not selected for one of five Operations Specialist, PG-6 positions; and
(2) the positions were classified at the management level to circumvent
his seniority rights under the collective bargaining agreement.
EEOC Regulations provide that the Commission may, in its discretion,
reconsider any previous Commission decision where the requesting party
demonstrates that: (1) the appellate decision involved a clearly erroneous
interpretation of material fact or law; or (2) the appellate decision
will have a substantial impact on the policies, practices, or operations
of the agency. See 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405(b).
After a review of the complainant's request for reconsideration, the
previous decision, and the entire record, the Commission finds that the
request fails to meet the criteria of 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405(b), and it is
the decision of the Commission to deny the request. While complainant
in support of his request for reconsideration provides additional support
to his contention that the agency's selections in this case circumvented
the collective bargaining agreement and his seniority rights, we find
that the apparent violation of the agreement does not equate to a finding
of age discrimination. The Supreme Court has held that because age and
years of service (seniority) are analytically distinct, an employer can
take account of one while ignoring the other, and thus it is incorrect
to say that a decision based on years of service is necessarily
age based. Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, 507 U.S. 604, 611 (1993).
Complainant's arguments primarily focus on the contravention of the
agency's collective bargaining agreement and its related seniority rights,
but fail to establish that the agency unlawfully based its decisions on
complainant's age or on the belief that older workers could not perform
the positions in question. Id. at 610-11. Therefore, the decision
in EEOC Appeal No. 01983147 remains the Commission's final decision.
There is no further right of administrative appeal on the decision of
the Commission on this request for reconsideration.
COMPLAINANT'S RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (P0900)
This decision of the Commission is final, and there is no further right
of administrative appeal from the Commission's decision. You have the
right to file a civil action in an appropriate United States District
Court within ninety (90) calendar days from the date that you receive
this decision. If you file a civil action, you must name as the defendant
in the complaint the person who is the official agency head or department
head, identifying that person by his or her full name and official title.
Failure to do so may result in the dismissal of your case in court.
"Agency" or "department" means the national organization, and not the
local office, facility or department in which you work.
RIGHT TO REQUEST COUNSEL (Z1199)
If you decide to file a civil action, and if you do not have or cannot
afford the services of an attorney, you may request that the Court appoint
an attorney to represent you and that the Court permit you to file the
action without payment of fees, costs, or other security. See Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. � 2000e et seq.;
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, 29 U.S.C. �� 791, 794(c).
The grant or denial of the request is within the sole discretion of
the Court. Filing a request for an attorney does not extend your time
in which to file a civil action. Both the request and the civil action
must be filed within the time limits as stated in the paragraph above
("Right to File A Civil Action").
FOR THE COMMISSION:
______________________________
Carlton M. Hadden, Director
Office of Federal Operations
January 5, 2001
Date
1 On November 9, 1999, revised regulations governing the EEOC's
federal sector complaint process went into effect. These regulations
apply to all federal sector EEO complaints pending at any stage in
the administrative process. Consequently, the Commission will apply
the revised regulations found at 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 in deciding the
present appeal. The regulations, as amended, may also be found at the
Commission's website at www.eeoc.gov.