Tracy Givens, Jack S. Woodard, Thomas L. Harris, Gregory Graves, Jimmie Wells, Elby M. Washington, John Uqdah, Roger Mitchell, and Walter Gilmore, Complainants,v.R. James Nicholson, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency.

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionMay 5, 2006
01a60982 (E.E.O.C. May. 5, 2006)

01a60982

05-05-2006

Tracy Givens, Jack S. Woodard, Thomas L. Harris, Gregory Graves, Jimmie Wells, Elby M. Washington, John Uqdah, Roger Mitchell, and Walter Gilmore, Complainants, v. R. James Nicholson, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency.


Tracy Givens, Jack S. Woodard, Thomas L. Harris, Gregory Graves, Jimmie

Wells, Elby M. Washington, John Uqdah, Roger Mitchell, and Walter Gilmore

v. Department of Veterans Affairs

01A60974, 01A60975, 01A60976, 01A60977, 01A60978, 01A60979, 01A60980,

01A60981, and 01A60982

May 5, 2006

.

Tracy Givens, Jack S. Woodard, Thomas L. Harris, Gregory Graves, Jimmie

Wells, Elby M. Washington, John Uqdah, Roger Mitchell, and Walter

Gilmore,

Complainants,

v.

R. James Nicholson,

Secretary,

Department of Veterans Affairs,

Agency.

Appeal Nos. 01A60974, 01A60975, 01A60976, 01A60977, 01A60978, 01A60979,

01A60980 01A60981 and 01A60982.

Agency Nos. 200406882003103669, 200406882003103705, 200406882003103703,

200406882003103702, 200406882003103706, 200406882003103707,

200406882003103708, 200406882003103733, and 200406882003103701.

DECISION

Complainants filed timely appeals with this Commission from final agency

decisions (FADs) dated October 31, 2005, finding that the agency was

in compliance with the terms of the August 4, 2005 settlement agreement

into which the parties entered. See 29 C.F.R. � 1614.402; 29 C.F.R. �

1614.504(b); and 29 C.F.R. � 1614.405.

The relevant parts of each settlement agreement provided, in pertinent

part, that the agency shall:

With regard to Tracy Givens (Agency No. 200406882003103669):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 9, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-11, step

1, effective March 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Pay $25,000.00 (USD) in attorney fees and costs made payable to

Kator, Parks & Weiser PLLC....

(2c) Complete th provisions outlined in sections 2 (a) and 2 (b) above

within 30 days of the date of the last signature below required to

effectuate this agreement.

With regard to Jack S. Woodward (Agency No. 200406882003103705):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 9, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 8,

effective March 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9, step 8 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the

GS-9 level; and

(2c) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2(a) within 30

days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency shall complete

item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty days of the date

of the last signature below.

With regard to Thomas L. Harris (Agency No. 200406882003103703):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 8, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 7,

effective March 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the GS-9

level; and

(2c) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2(a) within 30

days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency shall complete

item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty days of the date

of the last signature below.

With regard to Gregory Graves (Agency No. 200406882003103702):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-7, step 4, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 1,

effective August 10, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the GS-9

level; and

(2c) Pay complainant two thousand three hundred sixty-one dollars and

sixty cents (USD) ($2,361.60) in compensatory damages by check made

payable to Gregory Graves, and

(2d) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2 (a) and (c)

above within 30 days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency

shall complete item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty

days of the date of the last signature below.

With regard to Jimmie Wells (Agency No. 200406882003103706):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 8, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 7,

effective March 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the GS-9

level; and

(2c) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2(a) within 30

days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency shall complete

item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty days of the date

of the last signature below.

With regard to Elby M. Washington (Agency No. 200406882003103707):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 2, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 1,

effective July 13, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9, step 8 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the

GS-9 level; and

(2c) Pay complainant one thousand one hundred thirty-one dollars and

twenty cents (USD) ($1,131.20) in compensatory damages by check made

payable to Elby Washington; and

(2d) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2 (a) and (c)

above within 30 days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency

shall complete item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty

days of the date of the last signature below.

With regard to John Uqdah (Agency No. 200406882003103708):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 7, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 8,

effective March 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Pay $3,000.00 in compensatory damages in a check made payable to

John Uqdah; and

(2c) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2(a) and 2(b)

above within 30 days of the date of the last signature below.

With regard to Roger Mitchell (Agency No. 200406882003103733):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-7, step 2, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step 1,

effective April 4, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Addiction Therapist,

GS-101-9, step 8 to GS-101-11, after one-year of actual service at the

GS-9 level; and

(2c) Pay complainant seven thousand eight hundred nine dollars and

sixty cents (USD) ($7,809.60) in compensatory damages by check made

payable to Roger Mitchell; and,

(2d) Complete the item specifically delineated in item 2(a) and (c)

above within 30 days of the date of the last signature below. The Agency

shall complete item 2(b) above within no more than one year and thirty

days of the date of the last signature below.

With regard to Walter Gilmore (Agency No. 200406882003103701):

(2a) Non-competitively promote the complainant from Rehabilitation

Technician, GS-181-8, step 9, to Addiction Therapist, GS-101-9, step

9, effective July 1, 2003, with the appropriate backpay, benefits and

interest retroactive to said date as provided by the Back Pay Act;

(2b) To complete such within 30 days of the date of the last signature

below required to effectuate this agreement.

By letter to the agency dated September 14, 2005, complainants through

their counsel alleged that the agency was in breach of the settlement

agreements, and they requested that the agency specifically implement

their terms. Specifically, complainants alleged that as of the date

of the letter, forty-one days had passed since the execution of the

agreements and the agency had accomplished none of its obligations.

Complainants also called attention to the fact that the agency had

failed to process the agreed upon grade change of the complainants who

had retired and whose annuity payments would be greatly affected by the

changes.

In its October 31, 2005 FADs, the agency concluded that each complainant

had been retroactively promoted from Lead Rehabilitation Technician to

Addiction Therapist pursuant to the individual settlement agreements.

Moreover, the FADs affirmed that the complainants who were owed

compensatory damages and/or attorneys fees were duly compensated as per

the agreements by September 20 or September 22, 2005.

EEOC Regulation 29 C.F.R. � 1614.504(a) provides that any settlement

agreement knowingly and voluntarily agreed to by the parties, reached at

any stage of the complaint process, shall be binding on both parties.

The Commission has held that a settlement agreement constitutes a

contract between the employee and the agency, to which ordinary rules of

contract construction apply. See Herrington v. Dep't of Defense, EEOC

Request No. 05960032 (Dec. 9, 1996). The Commission has further held

that it is the intent of the parties as expressed in the contract, not

some unexpressed intention, that controls the contract's construction.

See Eggleston v. Dep't of Veterans Affairs, EEOC Request No. 05900795

(Aug. 23, 1990). In ascertaining the intent of the parties with regard

to the terms of a settlement agreement, the Commission has generally

relied on the plain meaning rule. See Hyon O v. United States Postal

Service, EEOC Request No. 05910787 (Dec. 2, 1991). This rule states

that if the writing appears to be plain and unambiguous on its face,

its meaning must be determined from the four corners of the instrument

without resort to extrinsic evidence of any nature. See Montgomery

Elevator Co. v. Building Eng'g Servs. Co., 730 F.2d 377 (5th Cir. 1984).

In the instant case, we find that the agency is in breach of the

settlement agreements. The agency has, albeit in an untimely manner,

retroactively promoted the complainants as agreed and paid the

complainants who were due compensatory damages and attorney fees.

However, the agency has failed to prove that it complied with its

obligation to pay complainants the appropriate interest and benefits

as per section 2a of each of the settlement agreements. As counsel to

complainants indicates, the earnings and leave statements fail to provide

any itemization for interest and benefits. We are persuaded by counsel's

base pay analysis that the earnings and leave statements include only the

base pay differential and not an amount for interest. Moreover, we are

troubled by counsel's continued claim that complainants Gilmore (Agency

No. 200406882003103701) and Uqdah (Agency No. 200406882003103708) have

retired, but, as of the date of the statement in support of the breach

allegation, have not received adjusted annuity payments. The agency did

not address this issue in its FADs. Without further proof, we interpret

this silence as an indication of non-compliance.

Accordingly, the Commission REVERSES the agency's findings of no

breach and REMANDS these matters so that the agency undertake specific

performance of provisions 2a in accordance with the Order below, and

adjust the annuity payments of complainant Gilmore and Uqdah.

ORDER

Within thirty (30) days of the date of this decision becomes final,

the agency shall:

Provide complainants with the interest on the backpay and any of the

attendant benefits due pursuant to provision 2a of each settlement

agreement; and

Expeditiously adjust the annuity payments of complainants Gilmore and

Uqdah to reflect the interest and benefits owed to them pursuant to

their settlement agreements, and

ATTORNEY'S FEES (H0900)

If complainant has been represented by an attorney (as defined by

29 C.F.R. � 1614.501(e)(1)(iii)), he/she is entitled to an award of

reasonable attorney's fees incurred in the processing of the complaint.

29 C.F.R. � 1614.501(e). The award of attorney's fees shall be paid

by the agency. The attorney shall submit a verified statement of fees

to the agency -- not to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,

Office of Federal Operations -- within thirty (30) calendar days of this

decision becoming final. The agency shall then process the claim for

attorney's fees in accordance with 29 C.F.R. � 1614.501.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMISSION'S DECISION (K0501)

Compliance with the Commission's corrective action is mandatory.

The agency shall submit its compliance report within thirty (30)

calendar days of the completion of all ordered corrective action. The

report shall be submitted to the Compliance Officer, Office of Federal

Operations, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, P.O. Box 19848,

Washington, D.C. 20036. The agency's report must contain supporting

documentation, and the agency must send a copy of all submissions to

the complainant. 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). 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.

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

(R0900)

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 (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

May 5, 2006

__________________

Date