Status Update – Decision on Appeal regarding Premature FADs

As previously reported on June 27, 2018 (see below), the Postal Service prematurely issued thousands of Final Agency Decisions in this case, thereby undermining the ability of class members to provide a full presentation in support of their claims for individual relief. We appealed this improper action by the Postal Service. We have recently received a final decision from the EEOC regarding our appeal. The EEOC agreed with our position. As a result, all individual claims will be sent back to the Administrative Judge for appropriate processing, in accordance with EEOC Management Directive 110, Chapter 8, Section XII.C. This is a good development, but a lengthy fight remains in order to obtain a just and fair result. There is no action needed at this time on your individual claim. Our offices will be in touch with you when you need to take additional steps.

Status Update – CONTACT US IF USPS SENDS YOU FORMS

The Postal Service has sent forms to be completed by some claimants. If you have retained our firms to represent you, and if you have received forms recently from USPS, please call us immediately at 585-272-0540 to discuss completing these forms. Please also send us a copy of the forms as the Postal Service has NOT sent copies to your attorneys.

Before sending your completed forms to the Postal Service, please contact us, make a copy for your records, and then send our office a copy.

Status Update

Appeal brief has been filed.

Status Update

Appeal pending. See below for more information.

Status Update – Notice of Appeal Filed

Click here for a copy of the notice of appeal filed on July 12, 2018.

Current Status of the Case – Final Agency Decisions Issued Prematurely by USPS

We have learned that the Postal Service has begun issuing Final Agency Decisions (FADs) on individual claims, summarily rejecting all relief. We believe that this action by the Postal Service is improper.

EEOC guidance sets forth an orderly process for the Administrative Judge to review and adjudicate disputed individual claims after class-wide discrimination has been found. (See EEOC Management Directive 110,Chapter 8, Section XII.C.) The Postal Service is disrupting the process by issuing premature FADs. We have filed an Emergency Petition for Enforcement with the EEOC, seeking an order directing the Postal Service to withdraw premature FADs, thus clearing the way for the Administrative Judge to review relief claims and develop the record as appropriate.

We hope the EEOC will act quickly to restore order to this process. Nevertheless, we are prepared to file an appeal from the FADs by July 12, 2018. This date (July 12, 2018) is well before the 30-day deadline for filing an appeal from the earliest FAD that we know about.

What you need to do: The Postal Service HAS NOT sent copies of the FADs to us. If you receive a Final Agency Decision related to the McConnell/NRP class complaint, please provide our office with a copy as soon as possible. We recommend emailing FADs to us at [email protected] or faxing us at (585) 272-0574.

Do you need to file an individual appeal from the FAD? It depends. The EEOC previously approved us as Class Counsel in this case, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of the class as a whole. But we expect the Postal Service to argue that we cannot file an appeal for class members unless they have retained us in writing on an individual basis which is why we have given that option to class members to retain us individually to prevent the Postal Service from even making that argument for anyone who does so. Accordingly, it is a good idea to proceed cautiously.

If you have previously retained Class Counsel to represent you in your individual claim, we will specifically name you in our appeal from the FADs, and you do not need to submit a separate FAD appeal notice to the EEOC.

On the other hand, if you have not yet retained Class Counsel to represent you in your individual claim, we will not include your name in our appeal from the FADs, and it will be necessary (in an abundance of caution) for you to file your own separate appeal notice to the EEOC before the deadline set forth in the FAD you receive.

There is still time for you to retain Class Counsel to represent you in your individual claim for purposes of appealing from the FADs, and in connection with future proceedings before the Administrative Judge (including developing the record as appropriate). If you now would like to retain Class Counsel on an individual basis in an abundance of caution, please contact us at [email protected] or by calling us at (585) 272-0540 or faxing us at (585) 272-0574.

We will provide updated information regarding the process on this website. Please continue to monitor this website for updates. Thank you.

Status Update

Many class members who submitted claims for individual relief have received response letters from the Postal Service. The Postal Service HAS NOT sent copies of these letters to your attorneys. Please provide our office a copy of any letters that you receive from the Postal Service as soon as possible. We recommend emailing such letters to us at [email protected] or faxing us at (585) 272-0574.

If the notice letter you received from the Postal Service states that the USPS is disputing part or all of your claim, your individual claim is to be presented to the EEOC Administrative Judge. The Postal Service is responsible for sending your claim to the Administrative Judge — you do not need to take any action to bring your claim before the Administrative Judge. The Administrative Judge has not yet announced the process or timeline for reviewing claims. We have submitted a proposed plan to the Administrative Judge for consideration, but no order has yet been issued. Until the Administrative Judge orders your claim to go forward, there is no action that you need to take at this time.

Please note that if the Postal Service disputes your claim and sends the claim to the Administrative Judge, the Postal Service’s 90-day deadline to issue a Final Decision on your claim is automatically stayed or extended. That means that your claim will have to be processed and reviewed by the EEOC Administrative Judge before the Postal Service will be required to issue a Final Decision. We do not yet have any estimate on the length of time that this process will take.

To the best of our knowledge at this time, the Postal Service has disputed every class member claim (in whole or in part).

The EEOC Administrative Judge may allow the parties to conduct discovery of documents and information, and take sworn depositions related to claims. If you have not yet retained Class Counsel to represent you in your individual claim, and you now would like to retain Class Counsel, please contact us at [email protected] or by calling us at (585) 272-0540 or faxing us at (585) 272-0574.

We will provide updated information regarding the process on this website. Please continue to monitor this website for updates. Thank you.

Status Update

We understand that some class members who submitted claims for individual relief have received response letters from the Postal Service. Please send our office a copy of any letters that you receive from the Postal Service as soon as possible. We recommend emailing such letters to us at [email protected] or faxing us at 585-272-0574. We will be in touch in the coming weeks if we need anything additional from you.

EEOC Decision Issued In Response To Postal Service’s Appeal

On September 25, 2017, the EEOC issued its initial decision in response to the Postal Service’s appeal of the Administrative Law Judge’s favorable decision, finding that the NRP discriminated against the Class as a whole. You can see the entire decision by clicking here.

The EEOC decision is not final as of the posting of this information. The Postal Service has already announced that it will seek to have the EEOC reconsider its decision in the case. Once a request for reconsideration is filed, a decision is not final until the EEOC issues a new decision in the case.

Class Members do not need to take any action at this time (October 2017). If the EEOC confirms its decision and a final order is issued that permits Class Members to seek individual monetary and non-monetary relief, a written notice will be sent out to all Class Members. In addition, we will update the information on this website to keep Class Members posted on status updates and any deadlines that might apply to claims for relief. We cannot comment on possible relief available to Class Members until a final order is issued by the EEOC.

Initial Decision Finds NRP Discriminated Against Class

The Administrative Judge recently issued a favorable decision in favor of the class on most of the claims in the case. This means that the Administrative Judge ruled in favor of the class and against the USPS. Specifically, the Administrative Judge decided that the NRP violated the Rehabilitation Act on four claims: (1) Wrongful Disclosure of Medical Information—USPS failed to require redaction of an employee’s medical information as part of the NRP; (2) Failure to Provide a Reasonable Accommodation—USPS sent employees home with no-work available or partial no-work available determinations, or sent employees to new assignments as part of the NRP; (3) Disparate Treatment of Injured on Duty Employees—USPS targeted employees and sought to compel retirements under the NRP; (4) Harassment—USPS created a hostile work environment under the NRP.

USPS has indicated that it will appeal the Administrative Judge’s decision. We do not know how long it will take for the appeal to be decided. The claim process for individual class members will not begin until after the appeal process is completed. It is anticipated that the appeal process may take at least one year.

It is very important to emphasize that the Judge’s decision does not provide any guarantee that any particular class member will obtain personal relief. Instead, the order finds in favor of several class-wide claims, and individual class members will be able to file personal claims in the future (if the Judge’s decision is upheld on appeal). Also, even if the Judge’s decision is upheld on appeal, the Agency may still attempt to prove that individual class members were not personally treated improperly or personally harmed under the NRP.

We will continue to update this website with information on the status of the case, and as always, we appreciate your patience with this legal process.