AUGUSTA - The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to advance legislation sponsored by Rep. Amy Roeder, D-Bangor, that would prohibit employer surveillance, unless the surveillance is strictly necessary for employee health and safety or necessary for security.
"While employer surveillance is necessary in certain circumstances, the level to which some employers are unjustly monitoring employees is unacceptable," said Roeder. "Using employee screenshots, recorded phone calls and meetings and employee webcam footage for monitoring purposes creates an untrustworthy work environment. This bill helps maintain employee privacy and dignity while also allowing employers who use surveillance for justified safety means to continue to do so."
As amended, LD 949 would allow an employer to use surveillance if their employees are notified that they will be monitored in advance. The legislation prohibits an employer from using audiovisual monitoring in an employee's residence, personal vehicle or property and allows employees to decline a request by an employer to install data collection or transmission applications on their personal electronic devices. It also requires that an employer notify a prospective employee during the interview process about any surveillance practices.
The bill faces further votes in the Senate and House in the coming days.
Roeder is serving her second term in the Maine House of Representatives and is House chair of the Labor and Housing Committee. She represents House District 23, which includes a portion of Bangor.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Roeder], 305-965-2744