The potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance workers' day-to-day operations is significant, but it also carries risks. A recent report from the Center for American Progress delves into how collective bargaining can be a potent tool in helping workers negotiate contract provisions that protect them from job elimination, set boundaries on surveillance and algorithmic management, and create opportunities for workers to reap the benefits of productivity boosts offered by AI tools.
While the full impacts of AI on workers nationwide remain largely unknown, it is crucial for policymakers to seize this moment to reinforce existing worker protections and bolster workers' ability to organize. This will enable unions to ensure that workers benefit from AI without suffering harm. The report details how unions such as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have successfully resisted the harmful threats posed by generative AI and digital replicas in their negotiations.
The report also examines how unions are safeguarding jobs and work environments by negotiating with companies over new technology that could disrupt workers' abilities to perform their duties, subject them to intrusive surveillance, or eliminate their jobs entirely.
"Unions give workers a powerful voice for ensuring AI-powered tools enhance workers’ day-to-day operations rather than making their jobs worse or put them out of work altogether," said Aurelia Glass, policy analyst for Inclusive Economy at CAP and author of the report. "Strengthening legislation that empowers more workers and their right to organize will protect more workers from the threats AI could pose to their work now and in the future while ensuring they enjoy the benefits of new technology."
For further information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].
