Union E-mail on District Subject to FOIL

NYSUT Legal Services has issued an opinion that Union e-mail correspondence using the school district’s e-mail system may be subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law. The opinion of NYSUT Legal applies even if the Union has an agreement with the employer that it can confidentially use the employer’s system for correspondence. Locals and their members are cautioned “to use the utmost discretion concerning such e-mail usage.” There are two sure ways to avoid public disclosure of matters that the Union or its members do not want disclosed: 1) use an external mail service for union business; or 2) do not put anything into an e-mail that you do not want publicly disclosed.

edited from the Elmsford Edge, October 2006, a NYSUT publication