Privacy Act of 1974; Publication of a Proposed New Routine Use

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Privacy Act of 1974; Publication of a Proposed New Routine Use

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice of a proposed new routine use.

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SUMMARY: This notice proposes to add one routine use to the OPM/

Internal-5, Pay, Leave, and Travel Records.

DATES: This proposed routine use will be effective without further

notice April 17, 1996, unless comments received dictate otherwise.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Office of Personnel Management,

Attn.: Mr. Robert Huley, Office of Information Technology, 1900 E

Street NW., Room 5415, Washington, DC 20415-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Huley at (202) 418-3210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM is creating a new routine use ``1'' to

deal exclusively and specifically with the release of home addresses of

bargaining unit employees to recognized labor organizations. The

release of updated home addresses of all bargaining unit employees from

an accurate system of records is necessary for full and proper

discussion, understanding, and negotiation of subjects within the scope

of collective bargaining under 5 U.S.C. 7114(b)(4).

The confusion and turmoil resulting from the recent Government

shutdowns emphasize the importance of permitting agencies to release to

recognized labor organizations, which are legally obligated to

represent the interests of all employees in the bargaining unit they

represent, the accurate home addresses of unit employees. The period of

time during which many employees were not at their places of

employment, and indeed, were barred from working, demonstrated the lack

of efficacy of relying upon bulletin boards, desk drops, and other

means of communication.

OPM has determined that the most current home addresses of OPM

employees are contained in the payroll system of records. Because this

system is updated for changes annually by OPM employees and is

automated, it is the most efficient as well as the most accurate

mechanism for releasing this information. Accordingly, OPM will

implement the policy by utilizing its internal payroll system of

records.

OPM has determined that with regard to the other systems of records

containing home addresses (e.g., OPM/GOVT-1, General Personnel Records

system), the home addresses within those systems of records are

frequently out of date. Retrieval of home addresses of employees from

the OPM/GOVT-1 system of records or any other system of records

administered by OPM would yield a great deal of inaccurate information.

Therefore, the release of the home addresses from these systems would

not serve the purpose of the disclosure, namely, the furnishing of

correct and useful information. Moreover, the use of these systems of

records, which are not wholly automated, would require an inordinate

amount of time to locate information that was not even requested,

namely, inaccurate home addresses, and would not result in the

retrieval of accurate home addresses, no matter how much time and

effort were expended. Accordingly, home addresses should be released

from an accurate internal system and will not be released from OPM/

GOVT-1 or any other system administered by OPM.

We are proposing a routine use for OPM's Pay, Leave and Travel

System covering its own employees, OPM/Internal-5. This will permit OPM

to release home addresses of all of its bargaining unit members to

recognized labor unions from this system of records, which includes its

payroll records. The payroll records contain accurate home addresses

that may easily be collected.

The Office of Personnel Management's system of records known as

OPM/Internal-5 last published in its entirety at 58 FR 19161 (April 12,

1993) with changes published at 60 FR 63078 (December 8, 1995) is

amended as follows:

OPM/Internal-5

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including

categories of users, and the purposes of such uses:

* * * * *

1. To disclose of labor organizations recognized under 5 U.S.C.

Chapter 71 the home addresses or designated

[[Page 9511]]

mailing addresses of bargaining unit members.

Office of Personnel Management.

James B. King,

Director.

[FR Doc. 96-5475 Filed 3-7-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6315-01-M