A B.C. union has lost a fight against a lumber mill that started using fingerprint scans as a way for workers to clock in and out. Canfor’s Plateau Sawmill in Vanderhoof started using the fingerprint technology in June 2022 but the United Steelworkers Local 1-2017 fought against it. The United Steelworkers union argued collection and use of the biometric data breached B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act. …Canfor argued the data was secure and a fingerprint can’t be reconstructed or reverse-engineered. The decision said around 100 workers signed a petition against the introduction and five people have been fired for refusing to enrol in it. Two of the five who were fired said using the system went against their religious beliefs. The company argued only medical exceptions will be considered. The Arbitrator sideed with the company… but told the company to consider all individual circumstances that may be covered under the B.C. Human Rights Code.