A Border Patrol agent who complained about being harassed after refusing allegedly superfluous overtime pay has settled a dispute with the agency through mediation, the Office of Special Counsel has announced.
The Border Patrol admitted no wrongdoing and worked with the agent to find a resolution, OSC said.
The Government Accountability Project, whose legal director represented the agent, praised OSC for recent successes in its mediation program, through which it resolved disputes related to the controversial Operation Fast and Furious gun-walking program.
GAP explained the agent was stationed at a Port Angeles, Wash. office with 40 employees portrayed as having sufficient time for leisurely drives along the coast, among other non-work activities, but who began routinely collecting overtime pay. The agent refused to collect overtime and voiced his concerns, including at a forum sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
Various forms of retaliation are alleged to have ensued, such as being ordered to move rocks from one location to another and back, being surprised with frequent drug tests, and being subjected to investigations and surveillance.
According to GAP, the agent has been reassigned to a post of his choosing, his record cleared, and he had his eligibility to carry out chaplain duties restored.
