Rick Karlin reports:
How far can state government go in keeping tabs on its employees?
That’s the question a mid-level appeals court will consider in the wake of a lawsuit filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union against the state Labor Department, in the case of a fired state worker who was tracked with a GPS device that investigators secretly attached to his personal car.
“GPS technology involves an unprecedented degree of government intrusion,” said Corey Stoughton, the NYCLU lawyer representing Michael Cunningham, a former state Department of Labor training manager.
Cunningham’s battle with the agency, first reported in the Times Union in 2010, began years ago with his contention that he was punished for blowing the whistle on pressure placed on employees to attend a prayer breakfast sponsored by then-Gov. George Pataki.
Department of Labor officials claimed Cunningham had filed improper time sheets.
The NYCLU lawsuit is focused only on the GPS tracking.
Read more on Times Union.