‘Bosses should have souls.’ California Legislature passes first-in-nation bill to regulate ‘robo-bosses’

Release Date: September 11, 2025

Media Contact: Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected], (916) 934-6963

'Bosses should have souls.' California Legislature passes first-in-nation bill to regulate 'robo-bosses'

Sacramento, CA - (Thursday, September 11, 2025) - California workers deserve the dignity of human interaction with their bosses, especially for sensitive subjects like discipline or termination. That's why-despite the intense opposition from Big Tech and corporations-California lawmakers on Thursday voted to pass Senate Bill 7, sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO and authored by Sen. Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton), on a 42-17 vote.

This first-in-the-nation bill is the strongest set of AI guardrails ever passed by a state legislature. SB 7 will soon head to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

The "No Robo Bosses Act" provides guardrails to protect workers from employer abuse of artificial intelligence and algorithmic management. SB 7 prohibits employers from using AI to make employee discipline or firing decisions, and ensures that a human being will always be the final decision-maker in that process.

"Bosses should have souls. We need commonsense guardrails to ensure human oversight of algorithms when workers are disciplined or fired. We cannot allow robo-bosses to go unchecked, while workers are treated like collateral damage of new technologies in the workplace,"said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. "With the passage of Senate Bill 7 today, California can be at the forefront of enacting first-in-the-nation protections for every working Californian against the new threat of unregulated robo-bosses. We have proven it time and time again, California can lead the way in innovation and workers' rights."

In addition to leading the California Federation of Labor Unions, Gonzalez is also the National Co-Chair of the AFL-CIO's State Federations Artificial Intelligence Task Force. She is charged with coordinating efforts with labor leaders across the country to lead the Labor Movement's efforts to advocate for guardrails on workplace technologies shaping the future of work, including AI, automation, and worker privacy.

For more information, or to set up an interview with Lorena Gonzalez to discuss this landmark bill, please contact Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected], (916) 934-6963.

The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO represents over 1,300 affiliated unions in California with over 2.3 million union members in trucking, retail, hospitality, janitorial, construction, health care, local and state government, education, arts and entertainment, warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, and a variety of other sectors.

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