Harold Staley, Jr. Complainant, William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionDec 17, 1999
01991087 (E.E.O.C. Dec. 17, 1999)

01991087

12-17-1999

Harold Staley, Jr. Complainant, William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.


Harold Staley, Jr. )

Complainant, )

)

) Appeal No. 01991087

) Agency No. 4-J-481-1157-96

William J. Henderson, )

Postmaster General, )

United States Postal Service, )

Agency. )

)

DISMISSAL OF APPEAL

A review of the record reflects that on March 24, 1997, complainant

entered into an agreement with the agency which provided as follows<1>:

Management will comply with all future requests for official time to

prepare for an EEO complaint in accordance with 29 C.F.R. �1614.605. All

requests for EEO time shall be accompanied by notification of a scheduled

appointment or event in advance for staffing purposes. [Complainant] shall

be paid for 1 � hours at time and a half in settlement of referenced

case. There are no other terms or conditions of this settlement and

none shall be implied.

On November 17, 1998, complainant filed an appeal with this Commission

alleging that the agency had failed to comply with the March 24, 1997

agreement between the parties. In response to complainant's appeal,

the agency issued correspondence to the Commission dated December 29,

1998 indicating that complainant had failed to bring his settlement

breach allegation to the attention of its EEO office, as required by

EEOC Regulations.

In 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37, 660 (1999) (to be codified and hereinafter

referred to as 29 C.F.R. �1614.504(a)), the regulations provide that if

the complainant believes that the agency has failed to comply with the

terms of a settlement agreement, then the complainant shall notify the

EEO Director of the alleged noncompliance �within 30 days of when the

complainant knew or should have known of the alleged noncompliance.�

EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. �1614.504(b), further provides that the agency

shall resolve the matter and respond to the complainant in writing.

If the agency has not responded to the complainant, in writing,

or if the complainant is not satisfied with the agency's attempt to

resolve the matter, the complainant may appeal to the Commission for a

determination as to whether the agency has complied with the terms of

the settlement agreement or final decision. The complainant may file

such an appeal within thirty-five days after he has served the agency

with the allegations of non-compliance but must file an appeal within

thirty days of his receipt of the agency's determination.

In this case, complainant failed to notify the agency of its alleged

non-compliance, as required by EEOC Regulations. Therefore, complainant's

appeal to the Commission is premature. See Foster v. Department of

Veterans Affairs, EEOC Request No. 05930046 (June 4, 1993). Complainant

must first notify the agency of his allegation of non-compliance so the

agency may attempt to resolve the matter at the agency level, before the

Commission can properly act upon her request. Accordingly, complainant's

appeal is DISMISSED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M1199)

The Commission may, in its discretion, reconsider the decision in this

case if the complainant or the agency submits a written request containing

arguments or evidence which tend to establish 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.

Requests to reconsider, with supporting statement or brief, MUST BE

FILED WITH THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL OPERATIONS (OFO) WITHIN THIRTY (30)

CALENDAR DAYS of receipt of this decision or WITHIN TWENTY (20) CALENDAR

DAYS OF RECEIPT OF ANOTHER PARTY'S TIMELY REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION.

See 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,659 (1999) (to be codified and hereinafter

referred to as 29 C.F.R. �1614.405). All requests and arguments must be

submitted to the Director, Office of Federal Operations, Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission, P.O. Box 19848, Washington, D.C. 20036. In the

absence of a legible postmark, the request to reconsider shall be deemed

timely filed if it is received by mail within five days of the expiration

of the applicable filing period. See 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,661 (1999)

(to be codified and hereinafter referred to as 29 C.F.R. �1614.604).

The request or opposition must also include proof of service on the

other party.

Failure to file within the time period will result in dismissal of your

request for reconsideration as untimely, unless extenuating circumstances

prevented the timely filing of the request. Any supporting documentation

must be submitted with your request for reconsideration. The Commission

will consider requests for reconsideration filed after the deadline only

in very limited circumstances. See 29 C.F.R. �1614.604(c).

COMPLAINANT'S RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S1199)

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. If you

file a request to reconsider and also file a civil action, filing a civil

action will terminate the administrative processing of your complaint.

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:

Dec. 17, 1999

_____________________________

Date Carlton M. Hadden, Acting Director

Office of Federal Operations

CERTIFICATE OF MAILING

For timeliness purposes, the Commission will presume that this decision

was received within five (5) calendar days of mailing. I certify that

the decision was mailed to complainant, complainant's representative

(if applicable), and the agency on:

DATE 1On November 9, 1999, revised regulation 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

64 Fed. Reg. 37,644 (1999), where applicable, in deciding the

present appeal. The regulations, as amended, may also be found

at the Commission's website at WWW.EEOC.GOV.