Opinion ID: 796224
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Right to Appeal

Text: 25 As relevant to this appeal, once an employee elects to pursue the negotiated grievance procedure and that process is carried out to completion, administrative review becomes available. Before bringing a Title VII action in the district court, an aggrieved employee is required to exhaust his administrative remedies. See Downey v. Runyon, 160 F.3d 139, 145 (2d Cir.1998). Under 5 U.S.C. § 7121(d): 26 An aggrieved employee affected by a prohibited personnel practice under section 2302(b)(1) of this title which also falls under the coverage of the negotiated grievance procedure may raise the matter under a statutory procedure or the negotiated procedure, but not both. An employee shall be deemed to have exercised his option under this subsection to raise the matter under either a statutory procedure or the negotiated procedure at such time as the employee timely initiates an action under the applicable statutory procedure or timely files a grievance in writing, in accordance with the provisions of the parties' negotiated procedure, whichever event occurs first. Selection of the negotiated procedure in no manner prejudices the right of an aggrieved employee to request the Merit Systems Protection Board to review the final decision pursuant to section 7702 of this title in the case of an personnel action that could have been appealed to the Board, or, where applicable, to request the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to review a final decision in any other matter involving a complaint of discrimination of the type prohibited by any law administered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 27 (emphasis added). 28 Because § 7121(d) encompasses § 2302(b)(1) claims — i.e., claims of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or political affiliation — it applies to pure discrimination cases. Because § 7121(d) also alludes to § 7702 — which establishes a special statutory procedure for mixed claims — it applies to mixed cases, as well. With respect to pure discrimination cases, 29 section 7121(d) requires a federal employee with a pure discrimination complaint to choose between the statutory and the negotiated grievance procedures. The employee who chooses the negotiated procedure may appeal the arbitrator's decision to the EEOC. Only after the EEOC has rendered a decision or failed to do so within 180 days may the employee . . . initiate suit in district court. 30 Johnson, 996 F.2d at 401. Accordingly, in a pure discrimination case, an employee who chooses the negotiated grievance procedure must appeal the arbitrator's award to the EEOC before bringing suit. In such a case, an appeal of a final grievance decision on a grievance which raises an employment discrimination claim, must be filed at the [EEOC] within 30 days of complainant's receipt of the final decision by the . . . arbitrator. E.E.O.C. Dec. 01A42454, 2004 WL 1918283,  (Aug. 17, 2004) (citing EEOC Management Directive 110, Chapter 10, Section II(A)(4) (November 9, 1999)); see E.E.O.C. Dec. 01A40558, 2004 WL 717088,  (Mar. 24, 2004). 31 With respect to mixed cases, 32 a careful analysis of the language and the structure of the CSRA reveals that an employee . . . who chooses to pursue a mixed case through the negotiated grievance procedure, must first appeal the arbitrator's decision to the MSPB before seeking judicial review . . . . Mixed cases are covered by subsection (d) [of § 7121]. Subsection (d) allows an employee in a mixed case to seek MSPB review of an arbitrator's decision . . . . Thus, the CSRA provides a path by which the [employee] can obtain judicial review. 33 Am. Fed'n of Gov't Employees, 992 F.2d at 336. Thus, in a mixed case, an employee must appeal the arbitrator's award to the MSPB before seeking judicial review.