Below is a copy of a communication emailed to all OSD employees on Friday, February 14

We want to make all OSD employees aware that The Seattle Times has submitted a public records request to the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) requesting information related to state employee personal information. DRS notified us of this records request and asked that we share the information with our employees.

The Seattle Times has requested information related to employee personal information for all members of the state’s retirement systems, including active and inactive members from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019. DRS has notified us it will release the data to The Seattle Times on March 9, 2020. If you would like to seek injunctive relief, please see the instructions at the end of the DRS notice below.

If you are the subject of this public records request, no action is required of you. For more information, or if you have questions about the request, please contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov. You may also visit the DRS website.

DRS Notice of Public Records Request

“The Department of Retirement Systems has received a public records request that seeks information about all members of the state’s retirement systems, including all retirees and inactive members, for the period July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019.

The requesting organization is The Seattle Times. DRS has requested and received a Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose pursuant to RCW 42.56.070(8). A copy of this Declaration is available here.

DRS has reviewed the request and determined that the following information items are subject to disclosure under the state’s Public Records Act:

• Full Name
• City, State/Province, Country and ZIP/Postal Code
• Date of Birth
• Retirement System/Plan
• Date of Entry
• Service Credit
• Annual Salary
• Average Final Compensation
• Date of Retirement or Withdrawal
• Monthly Retirement Benefit
• Retirement Type
• Employee Transmittal Code and Description
• Employer Name, City, State and ZIP Code

The Department intends to provide the information items listed above to the requesting organization on March 9, 2020.

If you are the subject of this public records request, no action is required of you. If you want additional information or have questions about the request, please contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov.

A Note about Injunctive Relief

Individuals who are the subject of a records request often ask if they can seek a court order to prevent the release of their records.

Under state law, an agency could be enjoined from releasing records if a court finds that the release “would clearly not be in the public interest and would substantially and irreparably damage any person, or would substantially and irreparably damage vital governmental functions.”

To enjoin DRS from releasing records in the current request, the department would need to be served with an injunction prior to the scheduled release date listed above.

State agencies cannot provide advice on whether to seek an injunction or whether such an attempt would be successful.”