Posts tagged AI
Fearing AI will take their jobs, California workers plan a long battle against tech
January 19, 2025 // More than 200 trade union members and technologists gathered in Sacramento this week at a first-of-its-kind conference to discuss how AI and other tech threatens workers and to strategize for upcoming fights and possible strikes. The Making Tech Work for Workers event was convened by University of California labor centers, unions, and worker advocates and attracted people representing dock workers, home care workers, teachers, nurses, actors, state office workers, and many other occupations.
Unions Reprogram NYS To Do Less With More
December 28, 2024 // And for good reason: these “protections” will bring slower-than-appropriate service delivery at higher-than-necessary costs, slamming the brakes on a multi-generation trend toward more efficiency, both across the economy and in state agencies themselves. Hochul in her approval message indicated she wants the Legislature to make technical changes to the bill but overall played to the unions’ fear-mongering:
Communications Workers of America File Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against Sony for Violating Labor Law
December 5, 2024 // This week, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Santa Monica Studio, a Sony subsidiary based in Los Angeles, Calif., alleging that Sony limited protected organizing activities on their property in violation of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
Motion Capture Workers at ‘NBA 2K’ Studio Vote to Unionize With IATSE
November 30, 2024 // IATSE is positioning this organizing victory as the first successful unionization push at a motion capture studio in the video game industry. “This victory is not just about one studio; it’s about the future of work in the video game industry,” said the union’s international president Matthew Loeb in a statement. Loeb added that he believed the victory at 2K would “inspire others in the industry to follow suit.”
Could AI be used to replace striking workers?
November 19, 2024 // Some of the striking workers handle software and data analysis. It wasn’t clear if, without them, the paper’s website would be able to handle what was an expected influx of election-related traffic. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI company Perplexity, responded on X to Sulzberger’s statements, saying that his company was “on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election.” The tech workers’ strike ended after a week (though without a contract resolution), and there were no reported website outages. But the offer from Srinivas struck many as a way to undercut the union’s power and compromise workers’ ability to fight for better labor conditions. Replies to his comment called him a “scab” (a term for someone who crosses a picket line and replaces striking workers).
Labor Department Publishes AI Best Practices
October 18, 2024 // “These Best Practices provide a roadmap for responsible AI in the workplace, helping businesses harness these technologies while proactively supporting and valuing their workers,” commented Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. “As we embrace the opportunities that AI can offer, we must ensure workers are lifted up, not left behind.” The document follows the AI and Inclusive Hiring Framework developed by the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology to prevent employment discrimination in the hiring process.
1 big thing: The big labor fight over automation is here
October 9, 2024 // Between the lines: The union also made sure that as the job of a dockworker changed, it was still a union job. That's an issue that striking autoworkers handled last year: Their tentative agreement included a provision that would ensure that workers who make electric vehicles see the same union protections as those making cars powered by combustion engines. Reality check: Not all unions are bargaining this hard. The deal struck by UPS and its workers last year didn't "adequately address automation,"
A+E Factual Studios staff is the latest to unionize
September 25, 2024 // The WGA says the A+E drive is their most significant to date in unscripted television. (Frankel’s union is seeking representation under SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild.) The workers are currently seeking to secure improvements to salary, healthcare, paid time off, and minimum time to rest in between shifts.
Hollywood union strikes deal for advertisers to replicate actors’ voices with AI
August 19, 2024 // Video game voice actors and motion-capture performers called a strike last month over failed labor contract negotiations focused on AI-related protections for workers. Legislation called the NO FAKES Act has been introduced in Congress and would give every person a right to their own voice and likeness, making AI copying without permission illegal. SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy and Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab support the bill. Proliferation of so-called deepfakes, which are highly realistic videos generated by AI trained on actual voices and images, and their role in manipulating public opinion have also raised alarm worldwide.
Writer Earnings Fell $600 Million Due to Strike and Industry Contraction, WGA Says
July 30, 2024 // TV and film writer earnings fell $603 million last year, or about 32%, as the end of “Peak TV” coincided with a 148-day strike by the Writers of Guild of America. Writer earnings, reported for dues purposes, dropped to $1.29 billion in 2023. Adjusted for inflation, that is the lowest level since the writers strike in 2007-08.