01a53179
06-30-2005
Michael J. Woods, Complainant, v. Norman Y. Mineta, Secretary, Department of Transportation, Agency.
Michael J. Woods v. Department of Transportation
01A53179
June 30, 2005
.
Michael J. Woods,
Complainant,
v.
Norman Y. Mineta,
Secretary,
Department of Transportation,
Agency.
Appeal No. 01A53179
Agency No. 5-04-5028
Hearing No. 310-2004-00402X
DECISION
Complainant filed an appeal with this Commission concerning his complaint
of unlawful employment discrimination. Complainant alleged that he was
subjected to discrimination on the bases of race (African-American),
color (black) and age (date of birth: July 20, 1956) when, on November 3,
2003, he was not selected for a controller's position at DFW TRACON.
On January 19, 2005, an EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ) issued a decision
without a hearing finding that there was no genuine issue of material fact
in dispute, and concluded that complainant had not been discriminated
against. Specifically, the AJ found the agency presented legitimate,
nondiscriminatory reasons for its actions, which complainant failed
to rebut. On February 25, 2005, the agency issued a decision finding
no discrimination. The agency fully implemented the AJ's decision.
Complainant now appeals from that decision.<1>
The Commission's regulations allow an AJ to issue a decision without a
hearing when he or she finds that there is no genuine issue of material
fact. 29 C.F.R. � 1614.109(g). This regulation is patterned after the
summary judgment procedure set forth in Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of
Civil Procedure. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that summary judgment
is appropriate where a court determines that, given the substantive
legal and evidentiary standards that apply to the case, there exists
no genuine issue of material fact. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.,
477 U.S. 242, 255 (1986). In ruling on a motion for summary judgment,
a court's function is not to weigh the evidence but rather to determine
whether there are genuine issues for trial. Id. at 249. The evidence of
the non-moving party must be believed at the summary judgment stage and
all justifiable inferences must be drawn in the non-moving party's favor.
Id. at 255. An issue of fact is "genuine" if the evidence is such that
a reasonable fact finder could find in favor of the non-moving party.
Celotex v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23 (1986); Oliver v. Digital
Equip. Corp., 846 F.2D 103, 105 (1st Cir. 1988). A fact is "material"
if it has the potential to affect the outcome of the case. If a case
can only be resolved by weighing conflicting evidence, summary judgment
is not appropriate. In the context of an administrative proceeding,
an AJ may properly consider summary judgment only upon a determination
that the record has been adequately developed for summary disposition.
We find that the agency articulated a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason
for the nonselection. The Air Traffic Manager stated that she approved
four transfer requests based on their radar experience and the currency
of their experience. The Air Traffic Manager reported that complainant's
radar experience occurred approximately 20 years earlier at Baton Rouge,
LA. The Air Traffic Manager mentioned that the individuals that she
approved had either recent radar experience, worked at busy centers, or
were from locations that have been successful in their training program.
Complainant has failed to show that the agency's reasons are pretext for
discrimination. Complainant has failed to show that his qualifications
for the position were plainly superior to the selectee's qualifications or
that the agency's action was motivated by discrimination. Furthermore,
complainant has failed to show, by a preponderance of the evidence,
that he was discriminated against on the bases of race, color or age.
The agency's decision finding no discrimination is AFFIRMED.
STATEMENT OF RIGHTS - ON APPEAL
RECONSIDERATION (M0701)
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 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 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 (S0900)
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:
______________________________
Carlton M. Hadden, Director
Office of Federal Operations
June 30, 2005
__________________
Date
1Complainant also raised a claim alleging that he was subjected
to discrimination on the bases of race (African-American), age
(date of birth: July 20, 1956) and reprisal for prior EEO activity
when he was not selected for a controller's position in January 2001
(ASW-AT-01-086-54196M) and in July 2002, which was partially dismissed by
the agency in a decision dated February 27, 2004. There is no indication
in the record that complainant challenged this issue with the AJ or raised
this matter in the instant appeal. Therefore, we will not address this
issue in this decision.