Harold J. Strzyzynski, Complainant,v.William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionAug 25, 2000
01a03156 (E.E.O.C. Aug. 25, 2000)

01a03156

08-25-2000

Harold J. Strzyzynski, Complainant, v. William J. Henderson, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, Agency.


Harold J. Strzyzynski v. United States Postal Service

01A03156

August 25, 2000

.

Harold J. Strzyzynski,

Complainant,

v.

William J. Henderson,

Postmaster General,

United States Postal Service,

Agency.

Appeal No. 01A03156

Agency No. 4-H-335-0043-00

DECISION

Complainant filed a timely appeal with this Commission from an agency's

decision dated February 28, 2000, dismissing his complaint of unlawful

employment discrimination.<1> In his complaint, complainant alleged that

he was subjected to discrimination in reprisal for prior EEO activity

when:

Since October 13, 1999, complainant was only allowed to provide

representation for carriers in the EEO complaint forum at the Gulf Winds

station at 1500 hours on Saturdays.

The agency dismissed complainant's complaint pursuant to the regulation

set forth at 64 Fed. Reg. 37,644, 37,656 (1999) (to be codified and

hereinafter referred to as 29 C.F.R. � 1614.107(a)(1)), for stating

the same claim that is pending before or has been decided by the agency

or Commission. The agency stated that complainant filed an identical

complaint under Agency Case No. 4-H-335-0001-00 on January 19, 2000, the

date the present complaint was filed, raising the same claims regarding

the restrictions on the date and time of complainant's representation.

After a review of the record, we find complainant's complaint should

be dismissed on alternative grounds. The Commission has held that the

right to official time for a representative flows from the complainant,

and therefore, a denial of official time for a representative is properly

raised by the complainant, and not the representative. Lambert v. SSA,

EEOC Request No. 05970586 (October 8, 1998). Therefore, we find that

complainant, as a representative on behalf of another individual, does

not have standing to raise the issue of being denied official time.

Thus, we find that complainant's complaint should be dismissed for

failure to state a claim pursuant to 29 C.F.R. � 1614.107(a)(1).

The agency's decision dismissing the complaint is AFFIRMED.

STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL

RECONSIDERATION (M0300)

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); Equal Employment Opportunity Management

Directive for 29 C.F.R. Part 1614 (EEO MD-110), 9-18 (November 9, 1999).

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).

COMPLAINANTS' RIGHT TO FILE A CIVIL ACTION (S0400)

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:

August 25, 2000

____________________________

Date Carlton M. Hadden, 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 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 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.