Opinion ID: 184422
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Threat Complaint

Text: The threat complaint alleges that Wildberger's supervisor,James Charney, committed an unfair labor practice in violation of 5 U.S.C. s 7116(a)(1) by threatening to deny Wildberger's training requests and to fire Wildberger if the conflictcreated by the labor organization Wildberger had formed didnot stop. Complaint and Notice of Hearing (Case No. 20821),J.A. 295. These same issues were considered by the MSPBin the context of Wildberger's affirmative defense claimingthat the proposing official (Charney) was motivated by personal animus. See J.A. 580-82. The record indicates that Wildberger alleged as an affirmative defense that Charney was motivated by personal animusbecause Wildberger served him with the threat complaint onework day before Charney issued the letter proposing Wildberger's removal. See J.A. 580. The MSPB-ALJ reasonedthat this allegation may be analyzed in two ways: as a claimthat Mr. Charney's impartiality had been compromised and asa claim that Mr. Charney retaliated against [Wildberger] forfiling the FLRA complaint. J.A. 581. The MSPB-ALJrejected the suggestion that Charney proposed Wildberger'sremoval in retaliation for Wildberger's filing of the threatcomplaint. J.A. 582. Furthermore, the MSPB-ALJ determined that to prevail on the allegation of personal animusthe appellant would have to show actual bias or the existenceof an intolerably high risk of unfairness. J.A. 581 (citationsomitted). Turning to Wildberger's assertion that Charneyhad illegally threatened him as evidence of Charney's allegedbias, the MSPB-ALJ considered the conflicting testimony ofCharney and Wildberger and concluded that Wildberger hadnot shown, by credible evidence, that Charney had everthreatened him. J.A. 581. Thus, the MSPB addressed thecentral issue underscoring Wildberger's threat complaint in the context of considering his affirmative defenses. Accordingly, the Authority's determination that it was barred by thefirst sentence of section 7116(d) from exercising jurisdictionover Wildberger's threat complaint was not arbitrary andcapricious.