Retaliating against an employee for reporting safety violations, the U.S. Postal Service asserted baseless terrorism charges against him. As a result, the employee was dismissed from his job, arrested, detained, harassed, criminally charged with committing acts of terrorism, and subjected to an extended campaign of public disparagement. That sounds like the exaggerated ranting of a would-be whistleblower seeking to cash in on a big pay day. But it’s not. These are the allegations made by the U.S. Department of Labor in a lawsuit it filed against its sister agency, the U.S. Postal Service, in an action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division, Case No. 4:14-cv-1233.
retaliation
Don’t forget: Title VII applies overseas
Title VII does not just protect U.S. citizens from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation while on U.S. soil; it also protects U.S. citizens overseas when working for U.S. companies. A recent complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria division highlights this. On August 17, 2011, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued DynCorp International for hostile environment and retaliation. According to the Complaint [pdf], DynCorp, a military contractor and aircraft maintenance company, employed James Friso overseas. In late 2006, DynCorp transferred Friso to work at its jobsite in Taji, Iraq, where, allegedly, Friso experienced sexually charged harassment because he did not fit the male gender stereotype. The Complaint alleges that Friso was subjected to frequent derogatory comments by a co-worker about him and homosexuality. The Complaint alleges that Friso complained multiple times, but that the company failed to respond. Ultimately, Friso was transferred to Germany, which resulted in a loss of pay. The Complaint argues that this transfer was retaliatory in nature.