Cal State Settles With Union Over Disclosing Employee Data

California State University has reached a settlement with its faculty union that requires the system to notify employees before disclosing their personal information to federal agencies investigating campus antisemitism, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The union, the California Faculty Association, filed a lawsuit against the system in October after Cal State LA shared identifying details of 2,600 employees with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was investigating employee complaints of antisemitism on campus.

The settlement agreement holds that CSU must inform employees “as soon as reasonably practical” before complying with any subpoena requesting personal information connected to the EEOC’s antisemitism investigation, “unless notice would be prohibited by law or regulation,” according to a statement from the CFA.

It defines personal information as anything that can identify an individual, including “name, social security number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, medical or employment history, and statements attributed to the individual.”

“We celebrate this settlement as a win that will help prevent workers from being caught off guard by the CSU handing over personal information to federal agencies without the knowledge of the faculty impacted,” the union wrote in its statement.  

In a statement of its own, CSU said, “We are pleased to have worked closely with the CFA to resolve litigation without further court involvement. Both parties have a mutual interest in safeguarding employees’ personal information and providing timely information to those most impacted. We believe this agreement successfully accomplishes both.”