The U.S. Postal Service must pay $141,307 in lost wages and damages to a probationary letter carrier who alleged an illegal firing for reporting a work-related injury, the U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday.
The judgment followed a two-day bench trial at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Judge Adrienne Nelson found the Postal Service discriminated against and wrongfully fired the worker 21 days after reporting a leg injury, which occurred while the worker was unloading mail from a postal truck.
The agency fired the worker 11 days before the probationary period ended.
The DOL filed suit against the Postal Service after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated the work injury.
The DOL said it has filed nine federal lawsuits against the Postal Service since 2020 over probationary employees who say they were terminated after reporting similar injuries in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.
