The current craze regarding artificial intelligence has spread like a shock wave.
It started among engineers who were inspired by a Research report 2017– Next come venture capitalists eager to profit from the new growth. Followed by government officials rushing over. set rules–
Now it's workers' turn.
More than 200 union members and technologists gathered in Sacramento this week in a first-of-its-kind conference to discuss how AI and other technologies threaten workers and to lay out strategies for the ongoing fight. will occur and strikes may occur
The Making Tech Work for Workers event is organized by the University of California Labor Center, Unions, and Worker Advocates. and attract people representing port workers. Housekeepers, teachers, nurses, actors, government office workers and many other professions
Highlights from the litigation: Workers at all levels are committed to fighting — during contract negotiations and in the midst of day-to-day operations — for the right to negotiate greater control over how AI is used within companies, union representatives provided. Details on how AI is threatening jobs, from screenwriting to taxi driving to calling people to be cashiers
Louis, an Amazon employee from the Inland Empire, California, revealed that technology can have a negative impact on his physical and mental health when it tracks his every move. He asked CalMatters not to use his last name out of fear of retribution. He feels like he can't stop moving or ask co-workers for help when lifting heavy things. This leads to back pain that makes it difficult to sleep at night. feeling depressed and reduce self-worth
“I couldn't handle being a robot,” he said, explaining why he resigned. Later, he returned to work because there were no other opportunities.
Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly responded, “Employees are encouraged to work with passion. Not working fast and can take a short break to use the bathroom, get water, stretch out, or step away from the screen at any time. Additionally, there's nothing wrong with using cameras to help ensure employee safety. Inventory quality or theft prevention This is a common practice in almost every major retailer in the world. Employees who have questions or concerns about any aspect of this technology or their work generally are not permitted. But they are regularly encouraged to take them to their manager. And they have provided many tools to support them in that process.”
The meeting comes as President Donald Trump prepares to begin his second administration and shortly before February 1st. The deadline for introducing the bill for the current session of the California Legislature is 21. It is unclear how Trump will respond to issues related to technology and workers. He has made some promises that appear favorable to big tech, such as pledging to cut regulations he views as harmful to innovation. and promised to repeal an executive order signed by his predecessor that established protections against AI.
But he has also positioned himself as an advocate for blue-collar workers who have been left behind by the tech elite: just last month He called automation a danger to workers. Observers are also baffled by the new president's stance on issues such as H-1B visas for foreign tech talent. Or how he might be influenced by top advisers like Elon Musk, the ubiquitous tech billionaire.
Attendees at the meeting weren't too focused on Trump. Instead, they focused the discussion on how to protect workers from technology that could exploit them or automatically discriminate. Union representatives unanimously called on workers to negotiate how AI and other forms of technology are used in the workplace in negotiations. Many are also encouraging employees to become more involved in technology issues. It considers how to use technology to organize or push for the formation of committees. Management must discuss the technology with workers before it is implemented.
About 150,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union work at stores like Kroger and Albertsons, and 100,000 National Nurses Federation members Both will face major battles related to automation this year. When they negotiate a new contract Grocery workers challenge the role of the self-checkout. As nurses compete for AI tools they say can influence their duty of care and prioritize profits for health care and insurance companies over patient health.
Companies have long marketed AI to consumers and investors as a technology that will change the world for the better. But gatherings like the one in Sacramento show that unions are also using AI as a way to encourage workers to organize their workplaces.
Unions have a steep hill to climb. Increase the number of members and worker power, said Amanda Ballantyne, executive director of the AFL-CIO Tech Institute, but including AI in collective bargaining is key. This is because there are many AI use cases in the workplace. And employees often have strong opinions about them because they are experts. in their own work and know best the safety implications of new tools
A number of union representatives argued at the meeting that workers need to gain and use their power to oppose the introduction of technologies that have the potential to be exploitative. met with resentment towards them or take over their work
g report Published earlier this year by the UCLA Latino Institute for Policy and Politics, it found that 4.5 million Californians are in 20 industries at high risk of losing their jobs due to automation. And more than half of high-risk workers are Latino. Job-stealing automation is a major problem for three out of four Americans. Gallup poll from last yearBut AI that creates predictions about workers, manages workers, or Try to track and count every move. It's also a significant risk, said Annette Bernhardt, director of the UC Berkeley Workforce Center. She previously told CalMatters She's less worried about AI entering the workplace than she is about algorithms being used in the workplace that treat people like machines.
AI has the potential to reduce discrimination and improve worker health and safety. But it also has the potential to drive job losses. Helps to halt efforts to organize employees and increase demand for more workers which is a phenomenon that This has resulted in higher injury rates at Amazon warehouses.–
SAG-AFTRA Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said AI underscores why it is important for workers to organize. Because doing so could force employers to negotiate their use of AI during contract negotiations rather than making a unilateral decision to introduce the technology into the workplace. But getting such a contract clause requires foresight from trade union leader This must create a message that can resonate with workers and the public.
“We are facing the biggest corporate interests and the biggest political interests you can imagine. And working together in unity is where our power lies,” he said, “especially because we are facing so many challenges at the federal level. in california We can use public policy to improve collective diplomacy. and use collective bargaining to develop public policy.”
Supporters say the mass adoption of technology in the workplace is simply surveillance of workers. And that's not new. “It's an old boss with a new tool,” said Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor. three years ago As a council member Gonzalez co-wrote the law. Prevents the algorithm from denying the operator rest time. or violation of worker safety
It comes amid uncertainty over how the Trump administration will address union concerns about the technology. Gonzalez told CalMatters last week that she is working with other states. including Oregon, Massachusetts, Washington and Wisconsin to pass laws to protect worker privacy in areas such as breakrooms and bathrooms. And make sure they know when their employer is collecting information about them or tracking their performance.
Currently, the California Privacy Protection Agency Draft rules that would require businesses to inform job applicants and workers when AI is being used and allow them to opt out of data collection on the job without repercussions. California will become the first state to enact such a rule. But such regulations are still being negotiated. So is the California Department of Civil Rights. Draft rules to protect workers from AI that could automate discrimination–
Gonzalez said she doesn't like to rely on such rules. Because it can take a long time to finalize and enforce, pointing to Fight to keep workers safe from hot workplacesA battle that has continued for the better part of a decade.
Meanwhile, people like Amba Kak see an opportunity for workers to capitalize on technological threats. But it says the right battle may need to be chosen strategically. Kak previously advised the Federal Trade Commission and was executive director of the AI Now Institute, a nonprofit that studies human rights impacts. collision of technology
Seizing those opportunities requires paying attention to a variety of issues. that can build bridges between workers and other actors In the tech justice movement, for example, data center activities can bring together people concerned with climate and labor and people in local communities that see data centers. Uses a constant amount of water and energy.–
Kak told CalMatters that she plans to focus more on activity in state legislatures in places like California and New York. Lawmakers are already considering it. A bill protecting people from AI in a similar way to California's Senate Bill 1047 Controversial bill requiring AI protections that Newsom vetoed last year–
“Labor is at the forefront of rebalancing power. and confirm that the public has a stake in determining how and under what conditions this technology will be used,” she said.
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