American Federation of State, County Municipal Employees, AFSCME Union Local 3456 v. Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission

**Union Loses Fight Over Employee Social Security Numbers for Drug Testing** The union representing workers at Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission sued their employer over privacy concerns. The dispute centered on the utility company releasing employees' social security numbers as part of a required drug and alcohol testing program. The union argued this violated Minnesota's Data Practices Act, which protects personal information held by government agencies. The court ruled in favor of the employer. Both the lower court and appeals court found that federal law specifically requires and authorizes the release of social security numbers for mandatory drug and alcohol testing programs. Since federal law mandated this disclosure, it overrode Minnesota's privacy protections in this specific situation. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling shows that federal requirements can sometimes override state privacy laws when it comes to workplace drug testing. If your employer is required by federal law to conduct drug and alcohol testing (common in transportation, utilities, and safety-sensitive jobs), they may need to share your social security number as part of that process, even if state law would normally protect that information. Workers in federally regulated industries should understand that certain privacy protections may not apply when federal safety regulations are involved.