Accessibility Tools

Skip to main content

The Latest      —

Do Drive Cam Cameras inside Trucks Violate Employee Rights?

Written on .

As a safety measure, many employers with driver employees have installed cameras inside the cab to alert drivers and monitor their safe driving practices, and potentially furnish defenses to the driver and the employer should accidents occur.  Some unions and activist groups have attacked such practices as violating employee rights, such as privacy concepts.  A recent NLRB case resulted in a federal appeals court ruling addressing a claim that the company created the impression of illegal surveillance of pro-union activities when a worker was instructed to uncover his truck's camera during lunch. 

The federal appeals court found that the drivers knew that they could be monitored at any time, so they would have "every reason to expect to be watched while on the job" without assuming it is an attempt to weed out or suppress union activities.  Stern Produce Co. v. NLRB, No. 23-1100 (D.C. Cir. 3/26/24).  The NLRB had found to the contrary, a finding reversed by the court ruling, by suggesting that a communication to a pro-union employee referencing a generally applicable policy of employee monitoring "is an unfair labor practice."  The court said this ruling showed "just how far" the Labor Board "strayed from its statutory mandate." 

This article is part of our May 2024 Newsletter. 

View newsletter online

Download the newsletter as a PDF

Related Content

Get Email Updates

Receive newsletters and alerts directly in your email inbox. Sign up below.
Promo graphic for webinar, TIPS: A Fresh Look at Tip Tax Exemptions & Their Implications
Have we reached the “tipping point”? Both Presidential candidates have proposed to exempt tips from tax, and a Texas court just invalidat...
board room
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) decided to withdraw its appeal in a court decision vacating the 2023 Biden joint-emplo...
we the people
In a case in Texas brought by SpaceX, a federal judge on July 10, 2024, explained his order blocking a case against SpaceX from proceedin...
fencing practice
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule scheduled to go into effect on September 4, 2024, banning the most common forms of non-compete ag...