Getting hurt shouldn’t cost you your job. A federal district court in Oregon has ruled that the U.S. Postal Service should pay more than $141,000 to a probationary employee who was terminated shortly after she reported a workplace injury.
The court ruled that the Postal Service violated an OSHA provision that bans employers from retaliating against employees who report concerns relating to workplace safety.
In November of 2018, the Postal Service hired Cassandra Hankins as a city carrier assistant.
Hankins was hired on a probationary basis, and her 90-day probationary period was scheduled to end in early February of 2019.
Near the start of January of 2019, Hankins was injured at work while stepping into the back of a work vehicle to retrieve and unload mail. She said that as she stepped onto the back of the vehicle’s bumper, she felt her calf pop and tear. She was later diagnosed as having a calf strain.
She reported the injury to her supervisor on the day she got hurt, and she also filled out an Accident/Injury Investigation Report.
An operations manager concluded that Hankins did not perform her job safely, and a decision was made to terminate her employment.
A postmaster admitted that she often told new employees that getting hurt during their initial probationary period would likely lead to job termination.
