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Following a legal challenge concerning privacy rights, United Auto Workers (UAW) union officials have decided to halt their unionization efforts at Vanderbilt University. This decision comes after three graduate students, identified as "John Doe 1," "John Doe 2," and "Jane Doe 1," received legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation to protect their private information from being disclosed.
The students cited the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which restricts universities from sharing personal information without consent. UAW officials had sought this data as part of their campaign to bring Vanderbilt graduate students under union control, leading the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to issue subpoenas for the information.
In October, John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 intervened in the NLRB case, arguing that FERPA allows students to seek protection if a subpoena requests their personal data. Despite objections from several students, a regional NLRB official ruled that Vanderbilt must comply with the subpoenas. However, following an emergency appeal by Foundation attorneys, the District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee temporarily relieved Vanderbilt of this obligation on November 22.
