National Labor Relations Board v. United States Postal Service

LYNCH, Chief Judge.

This case involves a clash between two federal entities and two different important values. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) § 8(a)(5), 29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(5), imposes on the United States Postal Service (USPS) the duty to bargain collectively, which includes the obligation to furnish relevant information to a labor union for purposes of collective bargaining. NLRB v. Acme Indus. Co., 385 U.S. 432, 435-36, 87 S.Ct. 565, 17 L.Ed.2d 495 (1967). The Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b), meanwhile, imposes on USPS the obligation to protect the privacy of its employees’…