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The US Postal Service may have shared the private information of up to 68 million households with the unions, and is now trying to hide it, a lawsuit claims.
Tens of millions of Americans received sets of four free COVID-19 tests in the mail by completing a form on the USPS website with their full name, email, and mailing address.
The program, authorized by the Biden Administration, was praised for improving access to rapid coronavirus tests.
By March 2022, USPS said it has delivered more than 270 million tests to more than 68 million households.
But a nonprofit union watchdog, Americans For Fair Treatment (AFFT), found fine print in the online form that allows USPS to “disclose your information to third parties without your consent,” including “labor organizations as required by law.” applicable law’.
Interestingly, this fine print differed slightly from the standard USPS privacy notice, which does not mention unions.
A lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com claims that the US Postal Service may have shared the private information of up to 68 million households with unions and is now trying to hide it.
Tens of millions of Americans received sets of four free COVID-19 tests in the mail by filling out a form on the USPS website with their full name, email and address. A nonprofit union watchdog group spotted fine print on the online form that allows USPS to “disclose your information to third parties without your consent.”
AFFT executive director Elisabeth Messenger said she fears if the USPS passes it on to unions, the data could be used for political campaigns.
‘We are talking about more than 70 million homes for now. That’s more than half the homes in the United States,” he told DailyMail.com.
AFFT chief executive Elisabeth Messenger told DailyMail.com she fears if the USPS passes it on to the unions, the data could be used for political campaigns.
‘Unions have done an amazing job of data collection in the past, putting union members’ boots to the ground to knock on the door and be available to political candidates.
“Many AFFT members left their union because they saw Big Labor abuse their power by sharing union members’ data and money with progressive political candidates.
‘This would be the most up-to-date and accurate data you could get, no one is going to put up a fake address. People really wanted these Covid tests, so they gave the most accurate information.”
Last February, AFFT filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the USPS asking how they came up with this disclaimer allowing personal data to be shared with labor organizations and requesting ‘all records related to USPS disclosure to any labor organization from the information you obtained through the COVID-19 test web form.’
“The public should understand why USPS has departed from its published Privacy Act notice only for the COVID-19 web form and not for any other situation,” the nonprofit organization’s request read.
“AFFT seeks to learn and educate the public about why and to what extent the USPS would provide confidential information that is covered by the Privacy Act to labor organizations.”
At first, the postal service claimed in its response that there were “no records to respond.”
Later, he published nine pages of emails between USPS personnel that were so redacted that only the dates and names of the correspondents were visible.
In April, AFFT filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC, alleging that the USPS conducted an “improper search” and made an “arbitrary and capricious” decision not to release more information.
In April, AFFT claimed in a lawsuit that the USPS conducted an “improper search” and made an “arbitrary and capricious” decision not to release any more information.
AFFT lawyer David Dorey said postal officials are “hiding behind a legal smokescreen” and “obstruct” their customers.
‘Personally, I am not aware of any statute authorizing the Post Office to give out personal details of Americans to unions. We have looked,’ he said.
Dorey is senior litigation counsel at The Fairness Center, a law firm that says it provides “free legal services to people wronged by public sector union officials.”
“They’re avoiding our client’s simple questions: Why is the USPS saying it can share Americans’ personal information with union officials without consent, and what has it actually done with that information?” she added.
‘Why don’t you answer the question? If you haven’t done anything with this information, why not just say that? I would love to know. But instead they are hiding behind the legal process.’
Last February, AFFT filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the USPS asking how they came up with this disclaimer allowing personal data to be shared with labor organizations and requesting ‘all records related to USPS disclosure to any labor organization of information you obtained through the COVID -19 test web form’
The postal service claimed there were “no records to respond.” The USPS later published nine pages of emails between USPS employees that were so redacted that only the dates and names of the correspondents were visible.
When reached by DailyMail.com for comment, a USPS spokesperson said: “As this matter is the subject of pending litigation, we are unable to comment.”
Messenger said that since filing the information request, the post office began using the same fine print when customers make purchases online and in stores.
“If you bought stamps or sent packages during Christmas at any kiosk inside the post office, that language also came up,” the head of the nonprofit organization said.
‘It seems a strange coincidence that the USPS would expand a union-friendly privacy policy to include all purchases made on USPS.com and at post offices just in time for the busy holiday season.
‘Why is our nation’s post office sharing information with a private organization that has been defined as political by the Supreme Court? That’s problematic.
Dorey said both sides have submitted all of their briefs and are currently awaiting a ruling by Judge Royce Lamberth.