USPS Updates Policy On Workplace Harassment

New Memorandum of Policy: Postal Service Policy on Workplace Harassment

Effective October 4, 2010, the Postal Service has issued memorandum of policy (MOP) DD-10-04-2010, Postal Service Policy on Workplace Harassment (see pages 19 and 20). This policy:

* Incorporates recent legal developments that make it clear that an employer’s anti-harassment policy must prohibit all forms of harassment that violate federal anti-discriminations laws.
* Reaffirms the Postal Service’s commitment to pro­viding a work environment free of harassment.
* Supersedes MOP DD-09-25-2006, Postal Service Policy on Workplace Harassment.

Prohibited Activities

Harassment is unwelcome verbal or physical conduct, which is so severe or pervasive that it interferes with or changes the conditions of one’s employment by creating a hostile, intimidating, or abusive working environment. Examples may include, but are not limited to, making offensive or derogatory comments or engaging in physically threatening, intimidating, or humiliating behavior based upon race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and gender stereotypes), national origin, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or in reprisal for an employee or applicant’s complaint about or opposition to discrimination or participation in any process or proceeding designed to remedy discrimination. These activities are prohibited by Postal Service policy and may amount to harassment in violation of federal antidiscrimination
laws. Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination. The Postal Service is committed to providing its employees a safe, productive, and
inclusive workplace and will tolerate nothing less.

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature such as, but not limited to: making or
threatening to make employment decisions based on an employee’s submission to, or rejection of, sexual advances or requests for sexual favors; deliberate or repeated unsolicited remarks with a sexual connotation or physical contact of a sexual nature that is unwelcome to the recipient; or behavior that creates a sustained hostile or abusive work environment so severe or pervasive that it unreasonably interferes with or changes the conditions of one’s employment. Although not every instance of inappropriate behavior may fit the legal definition of harassment, such behavior in the workplace undermines morale and violates the Postal Service’s standards of conduct. Disciplinary action may result even if the conduct does not constitute harassment under the law.

Postal Service employees who believe that they are the victims of harassment prohibited under this policy (Le., harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or gender stereotypes), national origin, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, or in reprisal for an employee or applicant’s complaint about or opposition to discrimination or participation in any process or proceeding designed to remedy discrimination) or who have witnessed such harassment or inappropriate conduct, which could lead to illegal harassment, should bring the situation to the attention of a supervisor, a manager, or the manager of Human Resources to address most forms of harassment described above. Refer to Publication 553, Employee’s Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Reporting Harassment for further information. In accordance with this policy, supervisors, managers, managers of Human Resources, or the next higher-level manager (HQ and HQfield units) are responsible for ensuring that direct and prompt action is taken to investigate and, where appropriate, remedy such misconduct when brought to their attention. The Postal Service will protect the confidentiality of harassment complainants to the extent possible.

source: Postal Bulletin 10-21-2010

17 thoughts on “USPS Updates Policy On Workplace Harassment

  1. im postal emplo

    im postal parcel post clerk 25years since i been here there is lot type harasment all kind even with 204b supervisor have personal agenda against employee to those employer like me i been harass calling me nick name all kind threating me pull me out i have reported this action to higher management in charge
    when u find out is someone close to that higher person they dont do shit about it/why is postal services spend lot money making policies and inspector they are one reason in postal services just looking at u what u do not looking those 204b supervisor violated postal rule im tire the abused here dmdu postal facility in puerto rico i dont care anyone who know me inform what i right here .true is reality like it or not.stop abusing harasing people like him or not

  2. Every day, at least once I get unwelcome, verbal harrassment from my only supervisor and his fantasy window clerk girlfriend. I only want to know to whom I report this harrassment to have it stop. These two are doing their best to make me react in a way that they think would be a threat to them. Fellow workers see this and advise me to stand up for myself. If I did, then at the least, I’d be accused of insubordination. So,,,again, who, when contacted will actually do something to fix this business?

  3. Edward Sherman, EEOC No.550-2008-00300X, 0n 27 Oct. 2009, you were awarded $200, 000. in non pecuniary compensatory damages, which is not the $300, 000 amount that you posted.

  4. Sal: National Union leadership, the PMG, Congress, etcetera, don’t give a damn about workplace harassment, bullying, intimidation, etcetera! If they did, they would visit these Post Offices once in a while after some poor employee was raped, assaulted, etcetera. I’ve never ever heard of a National Postal Union President bringing the weight of the National Union down onto a Post Office to clean up such atrocious managerial behavior. That’s up to the local Union Presidents; However, local President’s are ineffective without the support of their National Union’s.
    Just grin and bear it, or leave. Unfortunately that’s your only option, unless you got the money to take em to court.

  5. Edward Sherman , I would love to read your deciscion. What is the EEOC Number of your case. I can’t find your EEO on Google. You are the only person, in the 20 years that I have been doing EEO’s , that has won a $300, 000 complaint from the PO. Please post the deciscion on Google for all to see. I can’t find your deciscion on Google, NALC Branch 214, EEOC, Sherman. I can’t find your case in the EEOC’s home page.

  6. Where are the unions ? Why is it that an employee can file and win complaints in district court, but the unions will not file these same complaints for the employee. Why don’t the unions file more class action complaints. Is it because Jack and Bill play nice with each other. Is it the cost? Does the unions even care about district court complaints for the employees? What do the records show? They show that in many cases, you are on your own, and you become a target if you file any kind of complaint.

  7. I was a carrier in CA for 27.5 years. I filed an EEO back in 2007. I was fired and suspended and forced into early retirement in 2009. I recieved over 300,000 dollars for my EEO. I was also awarded full back and future pay until the end of 2013. If yo want to read AJ’s deciscion. Google, NALC Branch 214, EEOC, Sherman. This is a 52 page decision.

  8. I know first hand about harrassment, retaliation, threats and the like. I am an 18 year employee of the PO working at the Riverdale, GA post office. Under the supervision of Postmaster Clarence Coulter and Manager Rhonda Brown, I was accussed of stealing $50.00. Eight months after this suppossedly happened I was suspended and then issued a letter of removal. 17 months later I was cleared of all wrong doing. This was all due to me giving testimony in two fellow employees’ EEO cases – one for sexual harrassment. Coulter stood on the work room floor, with Brown and Conde (supervisor) threatening any employee who testified against him that “he would not forget it”. Many employees called the OIG office and upper management. NOTHING WAS DONE. Employees were harrassed everyday. Yelling, screaming, unwarranted discipline was common. EEOs are also common. Postmaster has lied, falsified records, covered up accidents, sexually harrassed employees, favoritism is so obvious for a select few, and do you think that ANYTHING HAS BEEN DONE? Coulter and Brown are out on “a long paid vacation” and will most likely be returned to their positions once thngs settle down. It will then be business as ususal – NO ONE DOING A THING ABOUT BAD MANAGEMENT. This new policy is a BIG JOKE. It doesn’t mean anything except that the policy before it did work either!!

  9. I can take care of myself when it comes to any kind of harassment from fellow employees, unless they are the main ass kissers that believe what management says is true and carry twice the amount of mail on a daily basis as a normal carrier would. All of the harassment and degrading comes from our management and supervisors. I don’t know how they came to know everything but they are pretty proud of themselves. With an IQ of 25 or less they probably don’t know how stupid they really are. I have always been a target for management for some reason. I don’t take their bullshit they dish out and am not afraid to file a grievance or and EEO, for all the good that does, other than taking up time. I am harrassed on a daily basis by my station manager. I’ve been down the union road and eeo. What else can I do? I think they get off on trying to break someone down. I have lost several days pay because of all of the bullshit that they have put me through. I wish I could file a lawsuit against them or a grievance just to get my back pay back. I guess the flogging will continue until morale improves.

  10. JAX NDC needs immediate copies of the Publication 553, Employee’s Guide to
    Understand, Preventing, and Reporting Harassment…DOES INCLUDES MANAGEMENT OR THere separates runs for them…

  11. Hey I think I wanna move to Long Island! LMAO! The fact is with this Bernstock thing out in the open Management has and continues to believe that there are two sets of rules. One for us and none for them!

  12. TWO sets of rules, one for Management (NONE) Reassigned… Then there are OUR RULES, FIRED!!! even when it’s NOT TRUE…. So why don’t they STOP saying ZERO TOLORANCE, when we all know they don’t really mean it, I guess it looks good on paper or they have to by law,WHAT A JOKE!!!

  13. Come to the long Island plant, we have supervisors pulling their pants down in the smoke shack. A certain tour one mdo has a mistress sdo on tour 2 got his career started by delivering the goods in the smoke shack. Another tour 1 mdo had sex in the inspector booth with another sdo who is now riverhead. All you need is a tie in this building you are permitted have sex while on the clock. 204b’s are drinking openly in the parking lot while having sex.

  14. Joe unfortunately, the idiots that run the USPS don’t care about how much money they pay out in Lawsuits, all they care about is harassing the Sh#T out of the Employees, that is why the USPS is failing. The only Government agency that is run like a Prison Camp

    Joe one day the USPS will run out of money paying for this mismanagement.

  15. THIS IS NOT WORTH THE PAPER IT’S WRITTEN ON ! I WAS HURT ON THE JOB AND MY STATION MANAGER CALLED ME A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SH*T . THEN HE TOLD ME HOW FAT I WAS GETTING ! IT WAS SO BAD THAT THEY REMOVED HIM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN BROUGHT HIM BACK TO THE SAME STATION . WE WERE A HOSTILE WORK PLACE , LITTLE THAT DID ! IT’S ALL LIP SERVICE ! ASK THE HURT ON JOB WORKERS THAT HAVE FILED A CLASS ACTION SUIT . IF THIS WASN’T BULL SH*T WHY DID THEY FILE A SUIT ? HOW ABOUT THE WORKERS THAT HAVE WON LAWSUITS THAT NO ONE HEARS ABOUT BECAUSE OF A NO TALK CLAUSE ? IN THE YEARS I HAVE WORKED THERE I KNOW OF 3 MULT- MILLION $ SUITS SETTLED .

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