Just a reminder for Postal Employees who are members of the Pittman (formerly Edmond Walker) vs USPS class action EEOC case. It is possible for a Postal Employee to be a “class member in both the Pittman and Sandra McConnell v. U.S. Postal Service, EEOC case.” The legal counsel informed Postal Employees that “all McConnell class claims are separate and independent of any claims involved in the Pittman case.”

The McConnell EEOC class action case involves postal workers affected by the USPS National Reassessment Process (NRP).

In 2006, Sandra McConnell was reviewed under the NRP in the USPS Western New York District. Ms. McConnell had been working in a rehabilitation modified carrier position for over eight years. However, after the NRP review, Ms. McConnell was stripped of her modified position and ordered to go home with “no work available.”

Ms. McConnell filed a class action discrimination complaint under the Rehabilitation Act on behalf of all USPS workers affected by the NRP. The disability discrimination class action was certified by the EEOC Administrative Judge in 2008. After the USPS appealed that decision, the EEOC again granted certification of the class action in 2010. “

Currently, the parties are completing the process of exchanging relevant information to move the case forward. This phase of litigation is often extensive, especially for a class action of this size. It requires the parties to gather and digest large amounts of information and documents relevant to the claims in this case.

Now that we are almost complete with this phase, in the coming months the parties anticipate filing various motions with the Administrative Judge before a hearing is scheduled.

In short, this case is at least several years away from reaching a settlement.