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The U.S. Postal Service is facing repercussions for terminating a probationary mail carrier in Oregon after they reported an injury incurred while on duty.
This type of incident is reportedly common within the USPS, according to federal authorities. Following a two-day trial, a federal judge has ruled that the Postal Service must compensate the dismissed employee with $141,307 for lost earnings and emotional suffering, as announced by the Department of Labor this past Wednesday.
The USPS has yet to issue a response to these allegations.
According to Marc Pilotin, the regional solicitor of labor in San Francisco, the dismissal of probationary employees by the USPS, especially after they report workplace injuries, is a recurring issue. These unwarranted firings result in significant distress for the employees and their families, both emotionally and financially.
The court in Oregon, led by Judge Adrienne Nelson, found the USPS guilty of discrimination and wrongful termination of the mail carrier. The employee was fired 11 days shy of completing their probationary term, 21 days after reporting a leg injury sustained towards the end of their shift during mail unloading activities.
Since 2020, the Department of Labor has initiated nine federal lawsuits concerning probationary USPS employees dismissed post-injury reporting across California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. Additionally, the department has settled five investigations into similar practices in California, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey.
Currently, three cases against the USPS in Washington state are awaiting trial. The Department of Labor accuses the USPS of failing to adhere to its own policy guidelines, particularly in failing to provide timely evaluations for the workers in question.
In one notable case in Oregon, Judge Nelson pointed out the USPS’s negligence to complete probationary reports as indicative of retaliatory intent. Moreover, in a separate ongoing lawsuit, the postal service was ordered to compensate the labor department $37,222 for the destruction of a probationary mail carrier’s text messages and the discarding of their personnel records.
Furthermore, last year, a federal court in Tacoma, Washington ruled that the USPS had retaliated against another probationary employee for reporting an on-the-job injury.