Gig Workers Face Unclear Path in Bill to Nix Nondisclosure Pacts

Varying state standards for what constitutes sexual harassment could undermine independent contractors’ ability to come forward under a new bill awaiting the president’s signature.

The House passed the SPEAK Out Act earlier this month after the bill cleared the Senate by unanimous consent in September. The legislation would nullify some nondisclosure agreements when employees allege conduct that breaks sexual assault and harassment laws.

Gig workers and other independent contractors, who aren’t covered by federal statute, are the most vulnerable worker category to the different ways states define sexual harassment in their laws, attorneys and legal scholars say. They face an ...