Senators Markey, Schatz, Introduce Legislation to Halt Automating Workplace Decisions, Worker Surveillance

Senators Markey and Schatz Introduce No Robot Bosses Act (PDF) Senators Markey, Schatz, and Booker Introduce Stop Spying Bosses Act (PDF) Washington (June 18, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, along with Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), today introduced the No Robot Bosses Act to put safeguards on the use of automated decision systems, which can include AI, to make work related decisions. Additionally, Senator Markey, along with Senator Schatz and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), today introduced the Stop Spying Bosses Act to address the growing use of surveillance technology in the workplace. Representative Chris Deluzio (PA-11) is introducing companion legislation to the Stop Spying Bosses Act in the House of Representatives. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced companion legislation to the No Robot Bosses Act . Automated decision systems are increasingly shaping core employment decisions, influencing hiring, firing, scheduling, and discipline. Employers are reportedly using “ bossware ,” automated decision systems and AI to evaluate workers, set targets, and even terminate employment—often with little transparency or accountability. These systems also collect extensive data on employees’ behaviors, productivity, and movements that can jeopardize workers’ autonomy, privacy, and rights. These bills draw a clear line: no more automating key employment decisions and no more invasive employee data collection. “When we talk about technical innovation, we must put workers first,” said Senator Markey . “Currently, some employers abuse their authority to collect troves of data, spy on workers’ every move, and hand critical employment decisions to an automated system. AI has only made this tech-fueled power imbalance worse. No worker should be fired or disciplined by a machine. No employer should be able to watch their workers in break rooms or collect data to predict potential union activity. It’s time to put workers first and put guardrails on these harmful technologies.” “Workers should be managed by people – not robots,” said Senator Schatz . “As companies increasingly rely on AI tools to manage their workplaces, our bill protects prospective and existing workers from discrimination by automated decision systems and encourages transparency around the use of these tools.” No Robot Bosses Act “No one should be shut out of their next job because of a machine's decision,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici . “Automated systems like AI can produce biased hiring outcomes for people from different backgrounds, and Congress must establish safeguards to protect workers from potential discrimination and safeguard applicants’ rights. I’m grateful to partner with Senator Markey and Congressman Deluzio to keep the doors of opportunity open to all who are seeking employment.” The No Robot Bosses Act would : Prohibit employers from relying on automated decision systems to make work-related decisions (e.g., hiring/firing, discipline, etc.); Require employers and developers to conduct pre-deployment evaluations and annual impact assessments of these systems; Mandate transparency and disclosures to workers before automated decision systems are used in employment decisions; Give workers the right to opt out of algorithmic management in favor of a human manager; and Require employers to provide workers a human review option in the hiring process. Stop Spying Bosses Act “When my grandfather worked on the line at a UAW plant in the 1960s, the technology simply didn’t exist for an employer to monitor your life once you left the job,” said Senator Booker . “In today’s digital era, that’s no longer true. Powerful surveillance tools can track workers off the clock and collect personal data they never agreed to share. This bill draws a firm line. It stands up for workers’ rights by protecting the separation earlier generations expected between their work and their private lives and ensures no one’s livelihood can be threatened by information gathered without their consent.” “Workers should be confident their employers aren't abusing their rights through surveillance or backdoor data collection,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “The Stop Spying Bosses Act will improve workplace transparency by limiting what data employers can collect and requiring them to disclose any surveillance practices. Workers deserve dignity, not invasions into their personal data. I’m pleased to partner with Congressman Deluzio and Senator Markey to introduce this important legislation.” The Stop Spying Bosses Act would : Limit employer collection and use of employee data to what is strictly necessary for legitimate purposes; Prohibit employers from using employee data to surveil workers’ union activity, political or religious views, immigration status, or off-duty conduct; Require employers to disclose to workers what data is being collected, how it is being used, and who has access to it; Give workers the right to access and correct their own data, and to review the data used in work-related decisions made about them; and Prohibit employers from selling or transferring employee data to third parties. “AI should be a tool to help workers, not a weapon used against them,” said Liz Schuler, President of the AFL-CIO . “Nobody should be disciplined or fired by an algorithm or have sensitive personal information collected without their consent. These bills provide the commonsense guardrails that workers across the country and across party lines are demanding, and I commend Senator Markey for his leadership in promoting a pro-worker AI agenda.” “Right now, companies are tracking workers in ways that are intrusive, violating worker's rights, pushing impossible quotas and inhumane working conditions. While union members are fighting for guardrails at the bargaining table, all workers need protection from automated systems that can throw their careers into chaos without due process. The No Robot Bosses Act is exactly what we need to protect people's job security and dignity, and to stop algorithmic discrimination before it starts,” said Dan Mauer, Director of Government Affairs at the Communication Workers of America (CWA) . “We applaud Senator Markey for introducing this legislation. Congress must act swiftly to pass the No Robot Bosses Act and ensure new technology protects good jobs and does not give abusive AI bosses more control.” “Nurses are witnessing our employers move at breakneck speed to introduce unregulated AI into our hospitals pushing unsafe staffing and jeopardizing patient safety,” said Jamie Brown, President of National Nurses United . “The last thing we need is a ‘robot boss’ surveilling our every move on the job and getting in the way of our work to care for our patients. That’s why we applaud Senator Markey for introducing the Stop Spying Bosses Act and No Robot Bosses Act to protect workers against unnecessary and harmful surveillance and we demand Congress move these bills with urgency.” “Every worker should be able to do their job without having technology used to watch their every move or make important decisions about their employment without guardrails,” said Jina John, Senior Policy Counsel for AI, Privacy and Technology at the ACLU . “The No Robot Bosses Act and Stop Spying Bosses Act are a huge step in the right direction to make sure that employers are held accountable for their use of technology in the workplace, from reviewing applications to monitoring longtime employees. These bills establish clear parameters on how employers can use such technology and make it clear that workers, and job applicants, have rights, including the right to know when and how these tools are being used and the ability to hold employers accountable in court.” “The No Robot Bosses Act & Stop Spying Bosses Act protect America’s workers from opaque automated systems that invade their privacy and are used to unfairly judge their competence, scrutinize their every move, and interfere with their ability to collectively organize for better pay and better work,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director and Policy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) . “EPIC thanks Senator Markey for his leadership on protecting workers and is proud to endorse these bills.” “Bossware systems are becoming common in workplaces but there are no rules or guardrails to protect workers. It’s like the Wild West,” said Irene Tung, Senior Director of Program and Policy at the Action Lab . “These two bills would establish critical worker protections to rein in abusive digital technologies in the workplace. What they propose is grounded both in workers’ first-hand experiences and in lessons learned from recent state policymaking.” “Corporations are expanding predatory surveillance and AI-powered HR systems across all kinds of workplaces,” said Rebecca Dixon, President and CEO of the National Employment Law Project . “With the Stop Spying Bosses Act and the No Robot Bosses Act , Congress is taking an important step to protect workers' privacy and rights on the job.” “We welcome the No Robot Bosses Act and Stop Spying Bosses Act as a significant step forward in protecting workers in an increasingly tech- and AI-driven workplace,” said Ridhi Shetty, Senior Policy Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology’s Privacy & Data Project . “Combined, these bills would help address several harms employees face from the hidden tech and data practices of their employers. Workers need and deserve to know when and how employers are using automated systems to help inform decisions about them. They also should be protected against the boundless collection and use of their data. The N o Robot Bosses Act and the Stop Spying Bosses Act would provide that relief, particularly through enhanced transparency and disclosure provisions and affirmative data minimization requirements. We appreciate Senator Markey’s efforts to protect workers from the irresponsible use of data and technology, and look forward to continued engagement on this issue.” In the Senate, the two bills are co-sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The bills are endorsed by ACLU, AFL-CIO, Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), Communication Workers of America (CWA), Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), National Nurses United (NNU), National Employment Law Project (NELP), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Senator Markey previously introduced the Right to Override Act, which would protect patients and healthcare workers by requiring an option for human override of artificial intelligence-based systems that recommend clinical decisions in health care settings. ###