Bill to Curb Employers’ Ability to Spy on Workers Introduced
A federal office to monitor whether workplaces are spying on their employees would be established under new legislation. The Stop Spying Bosses Act was introduced by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Representative Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and outlines several provisions to force employers to be more transparent about their use of surveillance technologies to monitor workers.
The legislation would “prohibit, or require disclosure of, the surveillance, monitoring and collection of certain worker data by employers.”
It also includes the creation of the Privacy and Technology Division at the Department of Labor to enforce and regulate workplace surveillance.
In addition, the legislation establishes the following:
Requires any employer collecting data on employees or applicants to disclose such information in a timely and public manner,
Prohibits employers from collecting sensitive data on individuals,
Creates rules around the usage of automated decision systems to empower workers in employment decisions.
“Workers shouldn’t have to worry that their data is being exploited or abused by their employers,” said Rep. Bonamici. “The Stop Spying Bosses Act will increase transparency in the workplace and protect workers’ rights by preventing the abuse of workplace surveillance and requiring employers to disclose any surveillance they conduct.”
“It’s time to protect employees from the use of invasive surveillance technologies that allow bosses to track their workers minute by minute and move by move,” said Rep. Deluzio. “Workers deserve far better than a workday full of endless suspicion and surveillance: they should have a workplace with respect and dignity.”
Similar legislation was introduced in the Senate in February 2023, but has languished in committee.
Several worker groups including the AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America, endorsed the legislation.
No Robot Bosses Act
Representatives Bonamici and Deluzio also teamed up to introduce the No Robot Bosses Act of 2024. That legislation is designed to reduce the potential of discrimination from artificial intelligence (AI) hiring tools and would require employers to disclose when and how they are using AI-based hiring tools.
