Safety Cameras and Confidentiality Policy = ULP

American President Lines installed video cameras on newly built vessels that recorded union crew members at work — and rolled out confidentiality provisions barring employees from copying or emailing company documents. It did both without giving the union notice or a chance to bargain. When the union asked for information about the cameras, the company didn’t fully respond.

All three moves were unlawful. The confidentiality language was overbroad enough to chill Section 7 rights. The cameras were a mandatory subject for effects bargaining. And the withheld information had to be produced.

The lesson for employers: a decision can be entirely within your rights and still trigger a duty to bargain over its effects. Loop in the union before you act, not after.