[Redacted], Floyd L., 1 Complainant,v.Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service (Field Areas and Regions), Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Nov 22, 2022

Appeal No. 2022003531 (E.E.O.C. Nov. 22, 2022)

U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION Office of Federal Operations P.O. Box 77960 Washington, DC 20013 Floyd L.,1 Complainant, v. Louis DeJoy, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service (Field Areas and Regions), Agency. Appeal No. 2022003531 Agency No. 1C-931-0029-22 DECISION Complainant filed a timely appeal with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC or Commission) from the Agency's final decision dated May 10, 2022, dismissing a formal complaint alleging unlawful employment discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. BACKGROUND During the period at issue, Complainant worked as a Mail Handler at the Agency’s Logistics and Distribution Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. On April 19, 2022, Complainant filed a formal EEO complaint claiming that the Agency subjected him to a hostile work environment in reprisal for prior protected EEO activity when: 1. on September 11, 2021, management stood behind Complainant for two hours; 2. on September 17, 2021, management threatened to take Complainant’s permanent modified job offer; 1 This case has been randomly assigned a pseudonym which will replace Complainant’s name when the decision is published to non-parties and the Commission’s website. 2022003531 2 3. on September 21, 2021, Complainant’s break time was changed; and 4. on October 7, 2021, Complainant’s breaks were scrutinized. On May 10, 2022, the Agency issued a final decision dismissing the formal complaint, pursuant to 29 C.F.R. § 1614.107(a)(1), for raising the same matters in a prior complaint (Agency No. 1C- 281-009-21)2 which was pending before the Agency. The instant appeal followed. On appeal, Complainant argues that he has been subjected to ongoing retaliatory harassment. Specifically, Complainant alleges that in June 2022, his supervisor refused to accept his leave slip, he was reassigned to the “rewrap” area even though a junior raking employee should have been assigned to this position, and he was forced to work on his scheduled off day. Complainant further alleges that in July 2022, he was denied “fringe benefits” (ability to leave work early) and management officials denied him access to a copy of his leave slip showing that his leave had been approved. ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. § 1614.107(a)(1) provides that the Agency shall dismiss an entire complaint that states the same claim that is pending before or has been decided by the agency or the Commission. To be dismissed as the “same claim,” the present and prior complaints must have involved identical matters. It has long been established that “identical” does not mean “similar.” The Commission has consistently held that in order for a complaint to be dismissed as identical, the elements of the complaint must be identical to the elements of the prior complaint in time, place, incident, and parties. See Jackson v. Dept. of the Air Force, EEOC Appeal No 01955890 (Apr. 5, 1996) rev'd on other grounds EEOC Request No. 05960524 (Apr. 24, 1997). Our review of the record indicates that the claims at issue are related to Complainant’s prior complaint. Specifically, the claims in the instant formal complaint and the claims in the prior complaint involve allegations that management stood behind Complainant and securitized his break times. We note, however, that our review of the prior complaint indicates that Complainant’s allegations of retaliatory harassment occurred in February and March 2021. In contrast, Complainant claims in the instant complaint allegedly occurred in September and October 2021. We acknowledge that these alleged incidents are similar. However, they are not identical to the claims at issue because the claims at issue did not occur during the same period. Additionally, on appeal, Complainant alleges that he has been subjected to ongoing retaliatory harassment occurring in June and July 2022, and consequently, Complainant raises additional claims (denial of fringe benefits, being forced to work on off day, and reassignment of duties) that are not identical to the claims raised in his prior complaint. 2 Our records indicate that the Agency initially dismissed this complaint on procedural grounds. On appeal, the Commission reversed the Agency’s dismissal and remanded the matter for further processing. See Blake H. v. USPS, EEOC Appeal No. 2021003579 (Nov. 18, 2021). 2022003531 3 CONCLUSION We REVERSE the Agency's final decision dismissing Complainant's complaint and REMAND the matter to the Agency for further processing in accordance with this decision and the ORDER below. ORDER (E0618) The Agency is ordered to process the remanded claims in accordance with 29 C.F.R. § 1614.108 et seq. The Agency shall acknowledge to the Complainant that it has received the remanded claims within thirty (30) calendar days of the date this decision was issued. The Agency shall issue to Complainant a copy of the investigative file and also shall notify Complainant of the appropriate rights within one hundred fifty (150) calendar days of the date this decision was issued, unless the matter is otherwise resolved prior to that time. If the Complainant requests a final decision without a hearing, the Agency shall issue a final decision within sixty (60) days of receipt of Complainant’s request. As provided in the statement entitled "Implementation of the Commission's Decision,” the Agency must send to the Compliance Officer: 1) a copy of the Agency’s letter of acknowledgment to Complainant, 2) a copy of the Agency’s notice that transmits the investigative file and notice of rights, and 3) either a copy of the complainant’s request for a hearing, a copy of complainant’s request for a FAD, or a statement from the agency that it did not receive a response from complainant by the end of the election period. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMISSION’S DECISION (K0719) Under 29 C.F.R. § 1614.405(c) and § 1614.502, compliance with the Commission’s corrective action is mandatory. Within seven (7) calendar days of the completion of each ordered corrective action, the Agency shall submit via the Federal Sector EEO Portal (FedSEP) supporting documents in the digital format required by the Commission, referencing the compliance docket number under which compliance was being monitored. Once all compliance is complete, the Agency shall submit via FedSEP a final compliance report in the digital format required by the Commission. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.403(g). The Agency’s final report must contain supporting documentation when previously not uploaded, and the Agency must send a copy of all submissions to the Complainant and his/her representative. If the Agency does not comply with the Commission’s order, the Complainant may petition the Commission for enforcement of the order. 29 C.F.R. § 1614.503(a). The Complainant also has the right to file a civil action to enforce compliance with the Commission’s order prior to or following an administrative petition for enforcement. See 29 C.F.R. §§ 1614.407, 1614.408, and 29 C.F.R. § 1614.503(g). Alternatively, the Complainant has the right to file a civil action on the underlying complaint in accordance with the paragraph below entitled “Right to File a Civil Action.” 29 C.F.R. §§ 1614.407 and 1614.408. A civil action for enforcement or a civil action on the underlying complaint is subject to the deadline stated in 42 U.S.C. 2000e-16(c) (1994 & Supp. IV 1999). 2022003531 4 If the Complainant files a civil action, the administrative processing of the complaint, including any petition for enforcement, will be terminated. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.409. Failure by an agency to either file a compliance report or implement any of the orders set forth in this decision, without good cause shown, may result in the referral of this matter to the Office of Special Counsel pursuant to 29 C.F.R. § 1614.503(f) for enforcement by that agency. STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL RECONSIDERATION (M0920) The Commission may, in its discretion, reconsider this appellate decision if Complainant or the Agency submits a written request that contains arguments or evidence that 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 for reconsideration must be filed with EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations (OFO) within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of this decision. If the party requesting reconsideration elects to file a statement or brief in support of the request, that statement or brief must be filed together with the request for reconsideration. A party shall have twenty (20) calendar days from receipt of another party’s request for reconsideration within which to submit a brief or statement in opposition. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.405; Equal Employment Opportunity Management Directive for 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 (EEO MD-110), at Chap. 9 § VII.B (Aug. 5, 2015). Complainant should submit his or her request for reconsideration, and any statement or brief in support of his or her request, via the EEOC Public Portal, which can be found at https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx Alternatively, Complainant can submit his or her request and arguments to the Director, Office of Federal Operations, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, via regular mail addressed to P.O. Box 77960, Washington, DC 20013, or by certified mail addressed to 131 M Street, NE, Washington, DC 20507. In the absence of a legible postmark, a complainant’s request to reconsider shall be deemed timely filed if OFO receives it by mail within five days of the expiration of the applicable filing period. See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.604. An agency’s request for reconsideration must be submitted in digital format via the EEOC’s Federal Sector EEO Portal (FedSEP). See 29 C.F.R. § 1614.403(g). Either party’s request and/or statement or brief in opposition must also include proof of service on the other party, unless Complainant files his or her request via the EEOC Public Portal, in which case no proof of service is required. 2022003531 5 Failure to file within the 30-day time period will result in dismissal of the party’s request for reconsideration as untimely, unless extenuating circumstances prevented the timely filing of the request. Any supporting documentation must be submitted together with the 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 (R0610) This is a decision requiring the Agency to continue its administrative processing of your complaint. However, if you wish to file a civil action, you have the right to file such action in an appropriate United States District Court within ninety (90) calendar days from the date that you receive this decision. In the alternative, you may file a civil action after one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days of the date you filed your complaint with the Agency, or filed your appeal with the Commission. 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. Filing a civil action will terminate the administrative processing of your complaint. RIGHT TO REQUEST COUNSEL (Z0815) If you want to file a civil action but cannot pay the fees, costs, or security to do so, you may request permission from the court to proceed with the civil action without paying these fees or costs. Similarly, if you cannot afford an attorney to represent you in the civil action, you may request the court to appoint an attorney for you. You must submit the requests for waiver of court costs or appointment of an attorney directly to the court, not the Commission. The court has the sole discretion to grant or deny these types of requests. Such requests do not alter the time limits for filing a civil action (please read the paragraph titled Complainant’s Right to File a Civil Action for the specific time limits). FOR THE COMMISSION: ______________________________ Carlton M. Hadden’s signature Carlton M. Hadden, Director Office of Federal Operations November 22, 2022 Date