CALGARY -- The theft of a food workers' union computer containing sensitive information has given some of its membership indigestion.

Former United Food and Commercial Workers member Dave Paniec said last week he received a letter from the union's Washington D.C. office informing him of the March 10 theft of a laptop from a New York City UFCW office.

A local union president said the laptop contained information on 28,000 Alberta members.

An angry Paniec said he's been told the laptop contained social insurance numbers and e-mail addresses of members.

"They wouldn't give me any information about how our social insurance numbers are being protected," said Calgarian Paniec, whose wife and son are both UFCW members and Canada Safeway employees.

He questioned why it's taken the union this long to inform workers whose identities could be stolen.

The information was encrypted, said UFCW Local 401 President Doug O'Halloran. "The chance of any information getting out is slim to none," he said.

Alberta's Privacy Commissioner has launched a probe of the incident.

"The commissioner has a lot of concerns about moving a laptop with all kinds of information on it," said a spokesman.

BILL.KAUFMANN@SUNMEDIA.CA