JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The right to confidentiality exists for communications between unions and their members in labor disputes and grievances, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled.
The finding of "union-relations privilege" comes in a case brought against the state by Russell Peterson Jr. And a union attorney said Monday that it could have implications nationwide.
Peterson was fired from his job with the state labor department in 2009 for not disclosing prior felonies. His attorney, Douglas Mertz, has said that Peterson was acting on advice from a representative at a job service agency.
When Peterson was fired, he went to the union as part of the grievance process. The union didn't seek arbitration, and Peterson sued for wrongful termination. The state then subpoenaed the union representative to appear for a deposition with the union's grievance file, court records show.
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