Wa Public Employees Assoc. v. Wa State Center For C

**Court Protects State Workers' Personal Information from Public Release** This case involved a dispute between public employee unions and the State of Washington over whether workers' full names could be released together with their birth dates under public records requests. The unions argued that combining these pieces of personal information violated state employees' privacy rights under the Washington Constitution. The trial court initially sided with the state, but the appeals court reversed this decision. The higher court ruled that the Washington Constitution protects state employees from having their full names disclosed alongside their birth dates in public records. The court found that releasing both pieces of information together creates privacy concerns that outweigh the public's right to access government records. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling strengthens privacy protections for public employees in Washington state. It means that when someone requests public records about government workers, agencies cannot release documents that show both the employee's full name and birth date together. This protection helps prevent identity theft and other privacy violations that could occur when personal identifying information is made publicly available. The decision demonstrates that workers' constitutional privacy rights can limit what personal information employers must disclose, even under public transparency laws.