Court Opinion

ID: 9373625
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-22 16:06:16.530675+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:42.691678
License: Public Domain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
                           MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD

     CARTY MYERS,                                    DOCKET NUMBER
                            Appellant,               CB-7121-18-0003-V-1

                     v.

     UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE,                   DATE: June 28, 2022
                   Agency.

             THIS FINAL ORDER IS NONPRECEDENTIAL 1

           Carty Myers, Bridgeport, Connecticut, pro se.

           Krista M. Irons, New York, New York, for the agency.

                                           BEFORE

                                 Cathy A. Harris, Vice Chairman
                                  Raymond A. Limon, Member
                                   Tristan L. Leavitt, Member

                                         FINAL ORDER
¶1         The appellant has filed a request for review of an arbitration decision that
     dismissed as untimely his grievance of the agency’s decision to remove him. For
     the reasons set forth below, we DISMISS the request for review for lack of
     jurisdiction.        However, we FORWARD the appellant’s submission to the
     Northeastern Regional Office for docketing as an appeal challenging his removal.

     1
        A nonprecedential order is one that the Board has determined does not add
     significantly to the body of MSPB case law. Parties may cite nonprecedential orders,
     but such orders have no precedential value; the Board and administrative judges are not
     required to follow or distinguish them in any future decisions. In contrast, a
     precedential decision issued as an Opinion and Order has been identified by the Board
     as significantly contributing to the Board’s case law. See 5 C.F.R. § 1201.117(c).
                                                                                      2

                                       BACKGROUND
¶2        The appellant was a City Carrier before his removal in July 2015. Request
     for Review (RFR) File, Tab 1 at 5. There is a dispute about when the appellant
     received notice of his removal, but, on or about July 28, 2015, his union filed a
     grievance on his behalf pursuant to procedures set forth in the governing
     collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Id. at 4-5. On February 12, 2016, the
     arbitrator issued a decision dismissing the grievance as untimely filed, pursuant
     to the 14-day deadline set forth in the CBA. Id. at 7-10.
¶3        On November 1, 2017, the appellant filed a request for review of the
     arbitrator’s decision with the Board.    Id. at 1-2, 11.    The Clerk of the Board
     issued an acknowledgment order, notifying the appellant, in part, that his request
     for review appeared to be untimely filed and ordering the appellant to file
     evidence and argument to prove that his request was timely or that good cause
     existed for any delay. RFR File, Tab 2 at 3 (citing Kirkland v. Department of
     Homeland Security, 119 M.S.P.R. 74, ¶ 4 (2013); 5 C.F.R. § 1201.155(b)). The
     appellant did not file a response to the acknowledgmen t order. The agency filed a
     motion to dismiss the request for review for lack of jurisdiction or, in the
     alternative, to dismiss the request as untimely filed. RFR File, Tab 4 at 4-6. The
     appellant did not file a response to the agency’s motion.

                                        ANALYSIS
¶4        The Board generally has jurisdiction to review an arbitrator’s decision
     under 5 U.S.C. § 7121(d) when the subject matter of the grievance is one over
     which the Board has jurisdiction, the appellant either raised a claim of
     discrimination under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(1) with the arbitrator in connection with
     the underlying action or raises a claim of discrimination in connection with the
     underlying action under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(1) for the first time with the Board if
     such allegations could not be raised in the negotiated grievance procedure, and a
     final decision has been issued.    Jones v. Department of Energy, 120 M.S.P.R.
                                                                                        3

     480, ¶ 8 (2013), aff’d, 589 F. App’x 972 (Fed. Cir. 2014); 5 C.F.R.
     § 1201.155(a)(1), (c).    However, a Postal Service employee does not have the
     right of Board review of an arbitration decision because 5 U.S.C. § 7121 does not
     apply to the U.S. Postal Service. Anderson v. U.S. Postal Service, 109 M.S.P.R.
     558, ¶ 4 (2008). Therefore, we dismiss the appellant’s request for review of the
     arbitration decision for lack of jurisdiction. 2
¶5         Nevertheless, the Board may have jurisdiction over the appellant’s
     underlying removal action. Under 5 U.S.C. § 7121(e)(1), an individual affected
     by a personnel action—such as a removal—that is both appealable to the Board
     and covered by a negotiated grievance procedure may contest the action before
     the Board or under the negotiated grievance procedure, but not both.             See
     Anderson, 109 M.S.P.R. 558, ¶ 5. However, this binding election of remedies
     does not apply to Postal Service employees with appeal rights, who are entitled to
     simultaneously pursue both a grievance and a Board appeal . See Mays v. U.S.
     Postal Service, 995 F.2d 1056, 1058 (Fed. Cir. 1993); Anderson, 109 M.S.P.R.
     558, ¶ 5.    Preference-eligible Postal Service employees who have completed
     1 year of continuous service in the same or similar positions have Board appeal
     rights. 3 5 U.S.C. § 7511(a)(1)(B)(ii); 39 U.S.C. § 1005(a)(4)(A)(i); Toomey v.
     U.S. Postal Service, 71 M.S.P.R. 10, 12 (1996).
¶6         The record is not clear whether the appellant was a preference-eligible
     Postal Service employee or otherwise met any of the criteria under 39 U.S.C.
     § 1005(a)(4)(A).    RFR File, Tabs 1, 4.       We therefore forward the appellant’s
     submission to the Board’s Northeastern Regional Office for docketing as an
     appeal challenging his removal. After docketing the appeal, the administrative

     2
      Having determined that the Board lacks jurisdiction, we do not address the apparent
     untimeliness of the appellant’s request for review.
     3
       Management or supervisory employees and Postal Service employees engaged in
     personnel work other than in a purely nonconfidential capacity who have completed
     1 year of current continuous service in the same or similar positions also have Board
     appeal rights. 39 U.S.C. § 1005(a)(4)(A)(ii).
                                                                                       4

     judge should inform the parties of the standard for Board jurisdiction and provide
     them an opportunity to respond to the jurisdictional issue with evidence and
     argument.
¶7         In addition, to the extent that the appellant intended to file an appeal of an
     adverse action, there is an issue concerning the timeliness of the appeal.
     Generally, an appeal of a removal action must be filed with the Board within
     30 days of the effective date of the action or within 30 days of receipt of the
     agency’s final decision, whichever is later.      See 5 C.F.R. §§ 1201.22(b)(1),
     1201.154(a). Generally, pursuit of a grievance does not extend the time for filing
     a Board appeal. Anderson, 109 M.S.P.R. 558, ¶ 7. The arbitrator’s decision is
     not clear regarding the date on which the removal became effective. RFR File,
     Tab 1 at 6.    Although the precise date on which the appellant received the
     agency’s notice of removal was disputed in the testimony of the parties during the
     arbitration hearing, a grievance challenging his removal was apparently filed on
     or about July 28, 2015. Id. at 4-5. It therefore appears that the appeal, which was
     filed on November 1, 2017, was untimely by more than 2 years. After docketing
     the appeal, the administrative judge should inform the appellant that his appeal
     appears to be untimely and provide him the opportunity to establish that the
     appeal was timely filed or that good cause exists for his delay in filing.      See
     5 C.F.R. §§ 1201.22, 1201.154.
¶8         This is the Board’s final decision regarding the request for review of the
     arbitration decision.

                             NOTICE OF APPEAL RIGHTS
           You may obtain review of this final decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(a)(1). By
     statute, the nature of your claims determines the time limit for seeking such
     review and the appropriate forum with which to file.           5 U.S.C. § 7703(b).
     Although we offer the following summary of available appeal rights, the Merit
     Systems Protection Board does not provide legal advice on which option is most
                                                                                        5

appropriate for your situation and the rights described below do not represent a
statement of how courts will rule regarding which cases fall within their
jurisdiction.   If you wish to seek review of this final decision, you should
immediately review the law applicable to your claims and carefully follow all
filing time limits and requirements. Failure to file within the applicable time
limit may result in the dismissal of your case by your chosen forum.
      Please read carefully each of the three main possible choices of review
below to decide which one applies to your particular case. If you have questions
about whether a particular forum is the appropriate one to review your case, you
should contact that forum for more information.

      (1) Judicial review in general. As a general rule, an appellant seeking
judicial review of a final Board order must file a petition for review with the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which must be received by the court
within 60 calendar days of the date of issuance of this decision.               5 U.S.C.
§ 7703(b)(1)(A).
      If you submit a petition for review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal   Circuit,   you   must   submit   your   petition   to   the   court    at   the
following address:
                              U.S. Court of Appeals
                              for the Federal Circuit
                             717 Madison Place, N.W.
                             Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.
      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
                                                                                    6

for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.

      (2) Judicial   or   EEOC     review   of   cases     involving    a   claim   of
discrimination. This option applies to you only if you have claimed that you
were affected by an action that is appealable to the Board and that such action
was based, in whole or in part, on unlawful discrimination. If so, you may obtain
judicial review of this decision—including a disposition of your discrimination
claims—by filing a civil action with an appropriate U.S. district court ( not the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit), within 30 calendar days after you
receive this decision.     5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(2); see Perry v. Merit Systems
Protection Board, 582 U.S. ____ , 137 S. Ct. 1975 (2017).              If you have a
representative in this case, and your representative receives this decision before
you do, then you must file with the district court no later than 30 calendar days
after your representative receives this decision. If the action involves a claim of
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or a disabling
condition, you may be entitled to representation by a court-appointed lawyer and
to waiver of any requirement of prepayment of fees, costs, or other security. See
42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(f) and 29 U.S.C. § 794a.
      Contact information for U.S. district courts can be found at their respective
websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx.
      Alternatively, you may request review by the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) of your discrimination claims only, excluding
all other issues. 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). You must file any such request with the
EEOC’s Office of Federal Operations within 30 calendar days after you receive
this decision. 5 U.S.C. § 7702(b)(1). If you have a representative in this case,
and your representative receives this decision before you do, then you must file
                                                                                      7

with the EEOC no later than 30 calendar days after your representative receives
this decision.
      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC by regular U.S. mail, the
address of the EEOC is:
                            Office of Federal Operations
                     Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                                  P.O. Box 77960
                             Washington, D.C. 20013

      If you submit a request for review to the EEOC via commercial delivery or
by a method requiring a signature, it must be addressed to:
                            Office of Federal Operations
                     Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
                                 131 M Street, N.E.
                                   Suite 5SW12G
                             Washington, D.C. 20507

      (3) Judicial     review   pursuant     to   the    Whistleblower      Protection
Enhancement Act of 2012. This option applies to you only if you have raised
claims of reprisal for whistleblowing disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) or
other protected activities listed in 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D).
If so, and your judicial petition for review “raises no challenge to the Board’s
disposition of allegations of a prohibited personnel practice described in
section 2302(b) other than practices described in section 2302(b)(8), or
2302(b)(9)(A)(i), (B), (C), or (D),” then you may file a petition for judicial
review either with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or any court
of appeals of competent jurisdiction. 4 The court of appeals must receive your

4
   The original statutory provision that provided for judicial review of certain
whistleblower claims by any court of appeals of competent jurisdiction expired on
December 27, 2017. The All Circuit Review Act, signed into law by the President on
July 7, 2018, permanently allows appellants to file petitions for judicial review of
MSPB decisions in certain whistleblower reprisal cases with the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Federal Circuit or any other circuit court of appeals of competent jurisdiction.
The All Circuit Review Act is retroactive to November 26, 2017. Pub. L. No. 115 -195,
132 Stat. 1510.
                                                                                  8

petition for review within 60 days of the date of issuance of this decision.
5 U.S.C. § 7703(b)(1)(B).
      If you submit a petition for judicial review to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit, you must submit your petition to the court at the
following address:
                             U.S. Court of Appeals
                             for the Federal Circuit
                            717 Madison Place, N.W.
                            Washington, D.C. 20439

      Additional information about the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit is available at the court’s website, www.cafc.uscourts.gov. Of particular
relevance is the court’s “Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants,” which is
contained within the court’s Rules of Practice, and Forms 5, 6, 10, and 11.
      If you are interested in securing pro bono representation for an appeal to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, you may visit our website at
http://www.mspb.gov/probono for information regarding pro bono representation
for Merit Systems Protection Board appellants before the Federal Circuit. The
Board neither endorses the services provided by any attorney nor warrants that
any attorney will accept representation in a given case.
      Contact information for the courts of appeals can be found at their
respective websites, which can be accessed through the link below:
      http://www.uscourts.gov/Court_Locator/CourtWebsites.aspx.

FOR THE BOARD:                                    /s/ for
                                          Jennifer Everling
                                          Acting Clerk of the Board
Washington, D.C.