Diane McCrae, Arlene Kitahara, Barbara J. Conner, Lillian A. Gill Complainants,v.Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionOct 13, 2005
05a51182 (E.E.O.C. Oct. 13, 2005)

05a51182

10-13-2005

Diane McCrae, Arlene Kitahara, Barbara J. Conner, Lillian A. Gill Complainants, v. Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, Agency.


Diane McCrae, Arlene Kitahara, Barbara J. Conner, Lillian A. Gill

v. U.S. Department of Commerce

05A51182, 05A51185, 05A51183 & 05A51184

October 13, 2005

.

Diane McCrae, Arlene Kitahara, Barbara J. Conner, Lillian A. Gill

Complainants,

v.

Carlos M. Gutierrez,

Secretary,

U.S. Department of Commerce,

Agency.

Request Nos. 05A51182, 05A51185, 05A51183 & 05A51184

Appeal Nos. 01A50178, 01A50175, 01A50176, & 01A50177

Agency Nos. 02-63-00150, 02-63-00147, 02-63-00148, & 02-63-00149

Hearing Nos. 120-2003-00215X, 120-2003-00212X, 120-2003-00213X &

120-2003-00214X

DENIAL

Diane McCrae, Arlene Kitahara, Barbara J. Conner, and Lillian A. Gill

(complainants) timely requested reconsideration of the decision in Diane

McCrae et al.v. U.S. Department of Commerce, EEOC Appeal No. 01A50178

(January 14, 2005). EEOC Regulations provide that the Commission may,

in its discretion, grant a request to 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) (2004).

After reconsidering 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. In our previous decision, we affirmed the final agency

order accepting the Administrative's Judge's (AJ's) summary decision

finding no discrimination. When we rendered our decision, we reviewed

the matter de novo, carefully considering all of the record evidence.

In essence, complainants argue in their request that our prior

decision is in error because (1) we determined that management

did not cause complainants to rely solely on the COOL website for

vacancy announcements; (2) it only considered part of complainant's sex

discrimination claim; (3) it did not examine and analyze complainants'

claims of direct discrimination. We remind complainant that a �request

for reconsideration is not a second appeal to the Commission.� Equal

Employment Opportunity Management Directive for 29 C.F. R. Part 1614,

at 9-17 (rev. Nov. 9, 1999). Having reviewed our prior decision, the

AJ's decision, and the record based on the standard articulated above,

we conclude that our interpretation of material fact and law is not

clearly in error, nor do we find that the previous decision overlooked

any material evidence. Thus, we continue to stand behind that decision

and find that the arguments complainants present in their request fail

to give us reason to reconsider the decision. As such, the decision in

EEOC Appeal Nos. 01A50178, 01A50175, 01A50176 and 01A50178 remains the

Commission's final decision. There is no further right of administrative

appeal on the decision of the Commission on this request.

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

October 13, 2005

__________________

Date