In 2010, a USPS employee who smelled smoke within work premises decided to call 911 so they could dispatch firefighters to the scene. However things didn’t play out the way he expected, and he was instead branded a “terrorist”, “unstable” and a “drug user” by his supervisor. This event sparked nationwide outrage and brought to the foreground the plight of USPS workers and the hostile work environments that they regularly find themselves in.
USPS Worker Arrested – Retaliation Goes Too Far
Thomas Purviance had been employed by the U.S. in St. Louis for over three decades at the time that he was called names and mistreated by one of his USPS managers. The manager informed the 9-1-1 dispatchers that Mr. Purviance was a disgruntled worker and that they suspected him of filing a false 9-1-1 report on top of him being a threat to the building due to him wanting to sabotage the whole building. Mr. Purviance was then arrested and spent 18 hours in jail before being released when his attorney posted bail on his behalf.
Workplace retaliation of this nature contravenes laws set forth in the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and Mr. Purviance had his day in court when he filed a lawsuit in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor and got compensated for lost wages and attorney fees.
How to File an EEO Complaint with USPS
If you’ve been discriminated against by other USPS workers, managers or supervisors, you must file with the EEO internally immediately, or before the expiry of 45 days from the date of the claimed discriminatory act. However, a lot of the time, this process is ineffectual, leaving you with no option but to file or request to have your case heard by an EEOC Administrative Law Judge, or have it taken to federal court.