Employee I.D. Numbers, Not Social Security Numbers, Should be Used on Drug-and-Alcohol Testing Forms

Employee Identification Numbers (EINs) — not Social Security numbers — should be used on postal forms whenever possible, in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding on the Removal of Social Security Number References [PDF] in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

However, MVS officers have learned that some managers are using Social Security numbers in connection with the drug and alcohol testing program.

At the union’s request, in an e-mail to the field in January, USPS headquarters officials reminded Designated Employer Representatives (DERs) and supervisors that EINs, not Social Security numbers, should be used.

The union has learned that the company that identifies MVS personnel for random drug testing uses SSNs, and includes the last four digits when notifying management of the employees that have been selected.

MVS officers are discussing with USPS officials ways to address this problem and eliminate the use of SSNs entirely. In the meantime, to protect the privacy of APWU members, we remind union members to refrain from using their Social Security numbers.