Teamsters Allege "Eavesdropping" at San Francisco Zoo, Management Says Technology Was Meant for ...

Source: NBC Bay Area

By Lisa Fernandez and Stephanie Chuang

The union representing scores of workers at the San Francisco Zoo says management is spying on employees' private conversations — but the zoo says its radio monitoring system was put in place for medical emergencies and denied the eavesdropping claims. Still, the executive director vowed to swiftly investigate the spying allegations.

The controversy traces back to 2007, when the zoo was thrust into the international spotlight after a deadly Christmas tiger mauling. That tragedy led the zoo eventually to the CommUSA radios under scrutiny, the union says.

After the Teamsters local accused the zoo of eavesdropping on worker conversations, the zoo issued a statement late Wednesday saying that the monitoring technology was disabled. California has a two-party consent law that makes it illegal to record or eavesdrop on private conversations without the consent of all parties.

Tim Jenkins, a spokesman for the Teamsters 856 in San Bruno, acknowledged in an interview with NBC Bay Area Thursday morning that his union's discovery is "really odd." His union represents about 100 workers at the zoo, including zookeepers, maintenance workers, custodians, tree trimmers and guest services workers.

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