NUGW-UE Privacy Waiver (Graduate Student Message)

Hello,

I am reaching out today as we implement a provision of the contract between Northwestern and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, Local 1122 (“NUGW-UE”) that requires the University to provide the union information about members of the bargaining unit.

When a graduate student is working in a bargaining unit position and covered by the collective bargaining agreement between NUGW-UE and the University, NUGW-UE is their exclusive bargaining representative as to the terms and conditions of their employment with the University. NUGW-UE has a legal obligation to represent bargaining unit members when they are engaged in bargaining unit work. In order to do so, NUGW-UE needs certain information about its unit members so that it is properly prepared to enforce the collective bargaining agreement, which covers pay and other terms and conditions of employment.

To avoid any conflict between NUGW-UE’s right to access this information under the National Labor Relations Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), which regulates the disclosure of certain information in your education record, you may elect to complete and sign this FERPA Release Form that we have created specifically for NUGW-UE bargaining unit members.

For some additional context, FERPA allows the University to disclose education records or personally identifiable information from education records in the following circumstances:

• With the written consent of the student
• If the disclosure meets one of the statutory exemptions
• If the disclosure is directory information and the student has not placed a hold on the release of directory information

Directory information is defined in Northwestern's Privacy Policy (FERPA). In this instance, the non-directory information refers to the following:

• Job title
• Work location
• Dates of employment, enrollment, and actual date of graduation
• Employing department(s) or program(s)
• Permanent and local mailing addresses
• Stipend amount
• Additional rates of pay, if any
• Pay period
• Employment records

The University cannot release this information to NUGW-UE without your consent via the release form.

Should you have any questions or require further clarification on this matter, please do not hesitate to reach out to the University at nu-studentrecords@northwestern.edu or to NUGW-UE at nugraduateworkers@gmail.com.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Sincerely,

Jaci Casazza
Assistant Provost & University Registrar
Northwestern University