Federal employee wins harassment appeal with the EEOC. The complainant, a federal employee, worked for the Department of Transportation. She filed an EEO complaint alleging that the agency had discriminated against her on the basis of her race and color. Specifically, she alleged that she was subjected to a hostile environment based on race and color.
The complainant received a racially hostile email from a coworker who also served as president of her local union. According to the evidence, the email referred to her using a racial slur and threatened violence. The DOT issued a decision finding that complainant had established the harassment created a hostile work environment. However, the agency only removed the offender from the union leader position and proposed a 30-day suspension after a lengthy delay.
Complainant appealed the agency decision to the EEOC. She argued that the agency failed to take immediate corrective action and did nothing to prevent future similar incidents. She noted that the proposed 30-day suspension was later reduced to 14 days. At base, she argued the offender received a “slap on the wrist” for the racial harassment. On appeal, the EEOC determined that the agency’s response was not prompt enough and vacated the original decision. The EEOC remanded the case back to the agency for further investigation and ordered that the disciplinary action against the offender be reevaluated.
Sharon M. v. Dep’t of Transportation https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/decisions/0120180192.pdf
Kirk J. Angel did not represent this federal employee, but he does represent federal employees in claims of racial harassment and hostile environment. If you have been subjected to discrimination or harassment based on race, color, gender, national origin, religion or age by your federal agency employer, you should not delay and reach out today. https://theangellawfirm.com/contact-us