Key facts
- Unions are negotiating for worker input and safeguards regarding AI in the workplace.
- Some hospitals use AI for staffing calculations and patient handoffs, which nurses argue is detrimental.
- AFL-CIO survey found 95% of workers want human decision-making for hiring, firing, and pay.
- Building trades unions are benefiting from increased work from AI-driven data center construction.
- California unions urged Governor Newsom to sign nine bills regulating AI in the workplace.
- Workers report AI tools like 'emotion recognition software' are used for real-time monitoring.
Labor unions across the U.S. are actively addressing the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the workplace, seeking to establish worker protections and ensure human oversight in AI-driven decisions. Unions are not aiming to block technological advancement but are pushing back against the unchecked implementation of AI by corporations.
Nurses unions, for instance, have voiced concerns about AI-powered software used in hospitals for tasks like calculating patient care needs and automating shift handoffs. While they have negotiated for some controls, these systems are largely still in use. The AFL-CIO's president, Liz Shuler, emphasized that the union movement is not anti-technology but is against the use of AI without worker input and control. A survey by the AFL-CIO revealed that 95% of workers desire human decision-making for hiring, firing, and pay, and 94% want transparency regarding AI monitoring.
In response to these concerns, some state and local governments have begun implementing regulations requiring companies to disclose their use of AI in employment decisions. Meanwhile, certain sectors, particularly the building trades unions, are finding opportunities in the AI boom, with data center construction creating significant work for electricians, plumbers, and pipefitters. Don Slaiman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers expressed frustration with the backlash against data centers, highlighting the long-term contracts and skilled labor involved.
However, the broader anxieties persist. Workers like Nicolle Pillion, a teleservice representative, are already experiencing AI-driven surveillance, such as "emotion recognition software" used to monitor her calls. Union leaders in California have specifically urged Governor Gavin Newsom to sign nine bills aimed at regulating AI in the workplace, warning of potential job displacement and increased surveillance without adequate safeguards.