Washington State Workers Can’t Keep Their Birth Dates Secret (1)

Washington state employees have no privacy rights that can shield public records containing their birth dates, the Washington Supreme Court ruled.

Disclosure isn’t barred under the state constitution because names and birth dates are widely available information, the Washington high court said Oct. 24, reversing an appellate decision.

The decision illustrates the scope of Washington’s Public Records Act, which requires full disclosure of public records with some exceptions.

The Washington Public Employees Association and several other labor unions sought court orders to block requests for union-represented employee records that included names, birth dates, and work e-mail addresses. The Freedom Foundation, ...