Employee data released by mistake

The Seattle School District has offered to foot the bill for identity-theft protection for up to 5,000 district employees after the district acknowledged personal information, including Social Security numbers, was inadvertently released to a local union representing some district workers.

The district acknowledged the error in a letter sent this week to district employees. "It is an unfortunate incident that occurred," said district spokesman David Tucker.

The 5,000 employees are more than half the district's work force. Included were about 700 members of International Union of Operating Engineers Local 609, which represents custodial, nutritional services, security- and alarm-monitoring workers.

Union officials said, and certified in writing, that personal information received from the district had been destroyed.

"We believe they are abiding by their declaration," Tucker said.

Tucker said the district released the information in an e-mail in February, after the union requested medical-benefit information. Included was salary information, home addresses and other data that should not have been released, said the letter to employees, signed by Brent Jones, the district's executive director of human resources.

As a public agency, the district is required to release certain information to union associations, when requested. But Social Security numbers and home addresses for employees not represented by Local 609 should not have been disclosed to the union.

"Seattle Public Schools takes the protection of personal employee information very seriously," Jones' letter said.

Tucker said he had received no reports of improper use of the disclosed information. "We have no reason to believe that Social Security numbers at any time have been inappropriately used," he said.

"Any time an employer releases personal information like that, it's very significant," said David Westberg, Local 609's business manager. "It should never have happened."

Westberg said only two officials in the union office had access to the files before they were destroyed.

The district said the identity-theft protection program, monitoring credit information with a credit reporting agency, would be available free to employees who request it for up to a year.

Charles E. Brown: 206-464-2206 or cbrown@seattletimes.com