10/16/2015 – The APWU is discouraging union members from participating in a voluntary program established by the Postal Service that creates an online database of their health records, APWU President Mark Dimondstein has announced.
“Last year’s cyber attack on the Postal Service demonstrates the danger in posting sensitive personal information in an online database maintained by management,” Dimondstein said. A 2014 breach of USPS records compromised the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and addresses of workers and some retirees; information regarding OWCP records that were shared with the Department of Labor also exposed medical records, bank account and routing information.
This year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal agency that manages the records of federal and postal retirees and current and former members of the military, also reported two major data breaches.
Management launched the voluntary online database of employees’ health records, now known as USPS Health Connect Portal, in early October.
“Based on our experience with the 2014 cyber attack, we urge union members to exercise caution,” Dimondstein said. “The APWU is fully committed to defending the privacy rights of our members and we encourage union members to be vigilant on their own behalf as well.”
