Serv. Emps. Int'l Union Local 925 v. Univ. of Wash.

**Court Rules University Can Release Union-Related Emails** This case involved a dispute between a union representing university employees and the University of Washington over the release of work-related emails. The union wanted to prevent the university from releasing emails that union officials had sent and received using the university's email system while conducting union business during work hours. The Washington Supreme Court ruled in favor of the university, deciding that the school could release these emails to the public. The court made an important distinction about when employee privacy protections apply. It said that privacy protections for work-related activities only cover records stored on employees' personal devices, not emails stored on the employer's official email servers. This ruling matters for workers because it clarifies the limits of privacy at work. If you use your employer's email system for any purpose—even union activities—those emails may be subject to public records requests if you work for a government agency. The decision suggests that workers have less privacy protection for communications on employer-owned systems compared to their personal devices. Public sector employees should be particularly aware that their work emails may become public records.