Privacy Issues in the Community College Workplace

4. Consequences of Prior Violations ................................................................................................................ 92 5. Duties of Requesting and Receiving Employers.......................................................................................... 92 6. Record-Keeping ............................................................................................................................................ 92 C. Maintaining Drug and Alcohol Test Results .................................................................................................93 S ECTION 5 Personnel Records and Files ........................................................................................................................................93 A. Internal Access to Personnel Records and Files ............................................................................................94 1. An Employee’s Right to Respond to Information in Her or His Personnel File......................................... 94 2. Privacy Rights of Third Parties When Employees Inspect Own Personnel Files....................................... 95 3. Checklist: Employee Personnel File Inspection Procedure ......................................................................... 96 4. Controlling Internal Access to Personnel Files ............................................................................................ 97 B. Third Party Access to Personnel Actions, Records, and Files.......................................................................97 1. Brown Act ..................................................................................................................................................... 97 2. California Public Records Act.................................................................................................................... 101 3. Union Access to Personnel File and Contact Information......................................................................... 109 4. Worksite Inspections of Personnel Files by Immigration Enforcement Agents ....................................... 110 C. Access to Personnel Records and Files in Litigation...................................................................................112 1. Overview..................................................................................................................................................... 112 2. Electronically Stored Information .............................................................................................................. 113 3. EEOC/DFEH Requests for Information..................................................................................................... 114 4. Subpoenas for Personnel Records .............................................................................................................. 115 5. Discovery of Police Records ...................................................................................................................... 117 D. Employer’s obligation to prevent identity theft...........................................................................................119 1. Section 114 of the FACT Act ..................................................................................................................... 120 2. Section 315 of the FACT Act ..................................................................................................................... 121 3. The California Consumer Privacy Act ....................................................................................................... 122 S ECTION 6 Searches and Surveillance .........................................................................................................................................123 A. Searches of Work Areas ..............................................................................................................................123 1. Employees in General................................................................................................................................. 123 2. Public Safety Officers................................................................................................................................. 130 3. Checklist: Guidelines for Conducting Searches......................................................................................... 131 B. Searches of Employees and Employee Property .........................................................................................131 C. Monitoring of Electronic Communications .................................................................................................132 D. Applicable Federal Law ..............................................................................................................................133 1. Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Standard Applies............................................................................... 133 2. Federal Statutes Prohibit Interception of Electronic Transmissions.......................................................... 134 3. Business Use and Notice Exceptions ......................................................................................................... 135 E. Applicable California Law ..........................................................................................................................139 F. California Electronic Communications Privacy Act – Application to Public Employer's Ability to Search Employer Owned Electronic Devices and Emails.......................................................................................145 G. Guidelines For Electronic Communications in the Workplace ...................................................................147 1. “Attorney-Client Communications” Sent Through Work E-Mail............................................................. 148 2. Other Types of “Privileged” Communications Sent Through Work E-Mail ............................................ 149 H. Video Surveillance of Employees ...............................................................................................................150 I. Tracking Devices.........................................................................................................................................153 J. Biometrics ...................................................................................................................................................155 K. Employer’s Affirmative Duty To Report Employees’ Unlawful Activity On The Internet ........................155

S ECTION 7 Regulation of Personal and Off-Duty Conduct..........................................................................................................156

Privacy Issues in the Community College Workplace ©2021 (c) Liebert Cassidy Whitmore vi