ALJ Issues Significant Order in U. S. Postal Service

On February 26, 2018, the Secretary issued a one-item other-than-serious citation (Citation) to the Respondent, the United States Postal Service (USPS). The Citation’s sole item alleged that on or about August 29, 2017, at USPS’s Pleasant Hills facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USPS “issued a seven-day working suspension to a carrier because he reported a work-related injury on August 16, 2017.” The citation item alleged that this action violated 29 C.F.R. § 1904.35(b)(1)(iv), which provides that an employer “must not discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness.” The Citation proposed a penalty of $5543 and required abatement by March 9, 2018.