Over 100 academic experts agree that SB 7 will be a strong guardrail to protect against AI abuses at work

Release Date: October 1, 2025

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

Over 100 academic experts agree that SB 7 will be a strong guardrail to protect against AI abuses at work

The California Federation of Labor Unions urges Gov. Newsom to sign SB 7 into law to protect workers

Sacramento, CA - (Wednesday, October 1, 2025) - The consensus from expertsis in on California's Senate Bill 7, the No Robo Bosses Act. Leading academic professors of law, economics, computer science, labor and technology policy sent a letter to Governor Newsom urging his signature on SB 7 to establish first-in-the-nation, commonsense guardrails on AI.

The bill, sponsored by the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO, simply prohibits employers from using an algorithm to make employee discipline or firing decisions without human oversight.

SB 7 is a national priority for labor unions across America and currently the most high-profile legislation in the country to regulate use of AI in the workplace. The bill is on Governor Newsom's desk.

In a letterto Governor Newsom urging a signature on SB 7, 117 academics from universities including UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell University, Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) wrote, "We believe that America can harness the potential of AI and other digital technologies to advance societal progress. However, as with any other powerful technology, there must be reasonable guardrails to protect against a range of harms from AI, many of which are only now starting to emerge."

"Signing Senate Bill 7 will cement the public's trust that in the State of California, the benefits of AI will accrue to all members of the public," the letter reads in part.

The letter goes on to state that SB 7 is "a necessary first step"in ensuring that AI platforms used by employers "are fair, transparent, and serve the public interest."

"Bosses should have souls. We need commonsense guardrails to ensure human oversight of algorithms when workers are disciplined or fired," said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. "While the Trump Administration is failing workers, we're urging Governor Newsom to step in and sign SB 7 to establish the strongest guardrails on AI in the country. California can lead the nation on innovation without sacrificing workers' basic dignity and respect."

Despite strong pushback from Big Tech - including Uber and DoorDash - California lawmakers passed SB 7 and sent it to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. He has until October 13 to act on the bill.

For more information, or to set up an interview with Lorena Gonzalez to discuss this major bill, please contact Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected].

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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