Unionized workers are bargaining with the bots

As Congress largely sits on the sidelines, union contracts are emerging as one of the strongest defenses American workers have against AI in the workplace. Axios reports that with ninety percent of the U.S. workforce lacking union representation, roughly one hundred thirty million workers have little leverage as companies deploy AI to reshape jobs and cut positions. But those who are organized are making headway. The NewsGuild-CWA has negotiated between eighty-five and ninety contracts with explicit AI protections, unionized reporters at Politico forced management to dismantle inaccurate AI reporting tools, and SAG-AFTRA secured provisions preventing AI replicas from replacing actors. Tech workers, once insulated by high salaries, are now organizing after realizing even strong performers can lose their jobs overnight—shattering what labor experts call an 'illusion of protection.' The result: a patchwork of guardrails. Those with union contracts have negotiating power over their technological future; the rest are largely on their own.

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