Gerald Groff v. DeJoy

Gerald Groff was an employee at the Quarryville Post Office for the USPS, he then transferred to the Paradise Post office as a Rural Carrier Associate in 2012. Groff was hired in this new position as an RCA, and this position means that the carrier must be able to work depending on the office, must be able to work weekends, and RCAs are not guaranteed a specific schedule based on needs. In 2016 this USPS office signed a contract with Amazon, stating that packages must be delivered on Sundays as well. Up until this time everything was working out, Groff had negotiated with his postmaster to make sure he had Sunday’s off as he identifies as an evangelical Christian and needs Sundays off for his Sunday Sabbath. However, once the Quarryville station signed with amazon Patricia, Groff’s postmaster, told him that she could no longer give him all Sundays off as they have peak times. Groff asked to be relocated to the Holtwood station, which had not yet signed a contract with Amazon. Brian Hess was Groff’s new postmaster and he knew that groff had moved to avoid Sunday delivery, but no one ever promised Groff all Sundays off. In 2017 Holtwood post office signed with Amazona and Groff would be required to work on Sundays. Management gave Groff an accommodation, he could find someone to cover his Sunday shifts or show up late on Sundays once his service was over. In May of 2018 Groff had missed 24 scheduled Sundays. Before facing termination due to 24 work absences, Groff decided to resign and sue the post office for refusing to have religious accommodations under the first amendment free exercise and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.  

First Groff sued under a federal court stating that the post office did not offer religious accomodations, including an Evangelical’s Sunday Sabbath. The federal court ruled for the Postal Service Office, then Groff appealed to the 3rd circuit where the ruling also favored the Post Office. Groff argued that exempting him from Sunday Work would have a more than de minimis cost on USPS. Groff has appealed to the Supreme Court and is holding on to a response.

I think that USPS should exempt Groff from working on Sundays even though he does not qualify due to his position, but I feel like his first amendment free exercise right is being violated because in this company RCA’s do not have the position to have a flexible schedule yet higher positions do; also Sunday Sabbath is not something Groff all of the sudden made up, he has been transferring jobs constantly and requested several times accommodations, therefore the sincerity is truthful. I think that stating the harm that his Sunday Sabbath has on USPS is unreasonable, and the fact that Groff had Sundays off before USPS signed with Amazon means that it is possible to make his accommodations happen, but USPS is putting their profits first before their employees.