California resident Myrna Arias, formerly employed by wire service company Intermex, claims her boss attempted to track her movements 24/7–and then fired her when she refused to comply.
The 36-year-old single mother is now suing the company for over $500,000 in damages.
Arias was hired as a sales rep for Intermex in 2014. According to a copy of her complaint obtained by The Verge, her boss, John Stubnits, required her to download a GPS-tracking app called “Xora,” which many companies use to keep tabs on employees who work out of office.
Xora, which has been in use since 2006, advertises itself as a way to “to help mobile employees meet productivity and service goals.” It allows managers to see where their employees are, send them messages, collect timecard data, and compile reports.
But while normally an employee would only turn the app on during working hours, Stubnits wanted Arias to keep the app–and her phone–on 24/7.
Arias charges that he even “admitted that employees would be monitored while off duty and bragged that he knew how fast she was driving at specific moments.”
While she told Stubnits that she had no problem with the GPS during work hours, “she likened the app to a prisoner’s ankle bracelet and informed Stubits that his actions were illegal. Stubits replied that she should tolerate the illegal intrusion because Intermix was paying [her more than her previous employer].”
Eventually she and a coworker uninstalled the app from their phones. Shortly after, both were fired.
Intermex does not appear to have commented publicly on the case.
“She was offended that the app would track her when she was at home with her family doing personal, private things on the weekends,” Arias’ attorney, Gail Glick, told CNN. “It feels like big brother.”
