Union Run a Muck

This a story of how unions can go to far. Also why is this person not fired? That is the million dollar question ? Who


Privacy breach feared
Private information released by SGI, FedEx worker says
By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix May 23, 2010
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A Saskatoon FedEx worker is concerned about a privacy breach where the addresses of around 25 local employees were leaked from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) to the union trying to organize the global courier servicePhotograph by: ,, ,A Saskatoon FedEx worker is concerned about a privacy breach where the addresses of around 25 local employees were leaked from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) to the union trying to organize the global courier service.

"It's concerning," said Tracy Gibson, a FedEx employee for 12 years. "If it's that easy to get the information, it makes you wonder who else can access it."

Last year, the Teamsters Union, a labour group that represents blue-collar and professional workers, launched a full-scale campaign to organize Canadian FedEx employees.

Local FedEx employees were soon being approached by union representatives about joining, but many weren't interested, Gibson said.

Soon after, employees noticed union representatives writing down employee licence plate numbers in the parking lot, Gibson said. They then began receiving mail at home from the union addressed to the owner of the vehicle, which in many cases wasn't the FedEx employee, Gibson said.

Gibson, 37, and five other employees asked SGI to investigate what they suspected was a privacy breach. They were contacted last month by SGI's chief privacy officer with a letter confirming suspicions their personal information was given out inappropriately.

SGI spokesperson Kim Hambleton said the privacy breach was traced to the Ministry of Justice, where it was discovered an employee had given the information to the union.

Privacy breaches are "very infrequent," Hambleton said.

Third-party agencies such as other government ministries or law enforcement have limited access to information in SGI's database, she said. SGI's extensive database includes customer contact information, driver and vehicle information, and driving history. The majority of agencies only have access to customer names and addresses, Hambleton said.

"We're very clear on what that information should only be used for and can only be used for," she said. "Obviously, if someone chooses to abuse it that is, you know, (unfortunate), but we make it extremely clear on what it is to be used for."

Ken Acton, assistant deputy minister with the ministry of Justice, said Friday the employee, who worked in a clerical data-entry position, was suspended without pay and upon return was reassigned to a job with no access to the SGI database.

The information was provided inappropriately to a friend at the union, he said.

"We take this very, very seriously," he said. "It's really unfortunate."

"In this case there was a mistake made," Acton said. "Do I think our system is flawed? No."

The privacy breach "opens up a can of worms," Gibson said, and suggests personal information may not be as secure as people believe. The mechanisms in place in government for keeping information private need to be examined, she said.

"People have to know about this," she said.

While Gibson said her problem was not with the union but the ease of which the information was given out, she does not support efforts to unionize.

"I don't want to be part of a group that is so aggressive," Gibson said. "That just goes beyond pushy."

A local Teamsters representative declined comment and a national spokesperson did not return a Friday interview request.

dhutton@sp.canwest.com

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