[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 9 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E152-E153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE EMPLOYEE CHANGING ROOM PRIVACY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2005

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, today, with my colleague, Congressman Rob 
Andrews, I am introducing the Employee Changing Room Privacy Act.
  This legislation would prohibit the video or audio monitoring of an 
employee in any area on an employer's premises where an employee 
changes clothing.

[[Page E153]]

  Unfortunately, there have been a number of cases where employers have 
been caught engaging in secret surveillance via video or audio 
equipment of their employees in these situations on the job site.
  For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that 19 locomotive 
engineers sued their employer in Oakland County (Michigan) Circuit 
Court, charging that their employer had hidden a camera in a locker-
room exit sign. A worker at a State college was shocked to discover 
that her employer had secretly videotaped her changing her clothes in 
her office after work. A waitress at a restaurant was spied on in the 
employee changing room when she got dressed for work.
  Mr. Speaker, these are just a few examples of the conduct that the 
legislation Congressman Andrews and I are introducing today is intended 
to prevent. The Employee Changing Room Privacy Act would help ensure 
that workers can go to work without wondering whether their employer 
has hidden a video camera in the bathroom or a microphone in the office 
ceiling.
  Under the Employee Changing Room Privacy Act, an employer who 
violates the prohibition against video or audio monitoring of any area 
on an employer's premises where workers change clothing would be liable 
to the U.S. Government for a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for each 
violation.
  The bill also authorizes the Secretary of Labor to seek injunctive 
relief against an employer so as to stop future violations of the 
prohibitions contained in the legislation.
  Enactment of the Employee Changing Room Privacy Act would strengthen 
the right to privacy at a time when the growing use of surveillance 
technologies at the workplace has endangered this most fundamental of 
American values.

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