Posts tagged AI
Building trades unions emerge as a key ally of tech giants in push for AI data centers
May 4, 2026 // Unions have aggressively answered complaints about data centers in ways that executives at tech giants and the development firms rarely do, unafraid to bluntly confront concerns about energy and water shortages, rising electric and water bills, or noise and quality-of-life objections. “When people say, you know, ‘data centers are the root of all evil,’ we’re just saying, ‘look, they do create a hell of a lot of construction jobs, which we live and work in your communities,'” said Rob Bair, president of the Pennsylvania Building and Construction Trades Council.
Unions Attack AI for Menacing Human Jobs
May 1, 2026 // Last week, the leaders of some of the largest trade unions in the US came together for a conference with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Axios reports. Together, they presented a united opposition against tech companies pushing AI and robotics into labor, renewing Sanders’ call for a pause on AI development until there are ample safety nets in place to catch workers whom labor leaders fear will be displaced. “We are here to sound the alarms on AI,” president of stories AFL-CIO Liz Shuler said at the press conference. “This race that everybody seems to think we’re in to advance AI at all costs — with no guardrails or protections for people — is reckless and dangerous.”
Opinion GOP’s fatal attraction to unions is the start of a bad romance
April 21, 2026 // Instead of offering flowers and chocolates, they aim to impress labor by slicing up the PRO Act and feeding it piecemeal to the rest of the GOP. The Faster Labor Contracts Act, sponsored by Hawley and Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ), is the first portion. It would allow federal mediators to essentially write union contracts for newly organized workplaces, if businesses and unions can’t agree on terms within four months of a union’s workplace-election win.
The Looming Legislative And Labor Push Against Artificial Intelligence
April 10, 2026 // Meanwhile, the Minnesota legislature is presently considering legislation that would, if passed, impose new limits on all employer use of AI. Senate File 4689 seeks to regulate the use of what it calls “Automated Decision Systems” (ADS). It would essentially cover all employment-related decisions relating to the implementation of AI. It would require advance notice of, and employee consent to, the use of ADS, would impose significant recordkeeping obligations, and employees would have the right to know when and how ADS influenced “adverse” employment decisions.
Why the Building Construction Unions Love Data Centers
March 25, 2026 // There’s a building boom going on in America – but it isn’t so much housing or office buildings. It’s data centers. This explains why even though liberals are rebelling against data centers, union workers love the high-paying jobs they create. Here’s a construction industry milestone
States Lead the Way on Portable Benefits and Flexible Work
March 24, 2026 // The momentum behind portable benefits reflects the strength of a growing network of organizations and leaders committed to modernizing workforce policy. Americans for Prosperity has worked in conjunction with a diverse range of state and national organizations including the Mercatus Center, Libertas Institute, Institute for the American Worker, Independent Women, R Street Institute, and more from state to state. With research, data, examples of those who would benefit, and a dose of optimism, the educational outreach to highlight how beneficial these reforms are to American families has created a surge of interest among state lawmakers who increasingly understand this golden opportunity to help their residents thrive in today’s economy including shifts due to the rise of AI and other technology.
ProPublica’s unionized staff vote to authorize strike: ‘We are ready to walk off the job’
March 22, 2026 // The unionized staff at ProPublica voted to authorize a strike Thursday evening, declaring they were "ready to walk off the job" in order to send a message to management.
Commentary: Back to the Dark Ages? Unions Push Bills to Slow Workplace Technology
March 10, 2026 // In practice, introducing AI in unionized workplaces could require union approval. The bill also requires companies to hire a state-approved auditor to test AI systems for bias before deployment. If disparate impact is found, the system cannot be used until the Labor Commissioner signs off on corrective measures. Businesses would effectively need a government permission slip to deploy their own software. The legislation goes even further by limiting how state agencies may use artificial intelligence, requiring legislative authorization before purchasing or deploying many AI systems. Rather than encouraging innovation, the default posture treats AI as suspect unless expressly approved. At the same time, Senate Bill 438 would regulate self-checkout machines in grocery stores.
Labor Watch: St. John’s Axes Unions, CSU Strike Pays Off
March 5, 2026 // St. John’s is the second institution to use a religious exemption to shutter its union this academic year; in the fall, the Loyola Marymount University Board of Trustees announced it would no longer recognize its non-tenure-track faculty union and cease bargaining.
Op-ed: When taxpayers incentivize jobs, the state should protect workers’ privacy in union votes
February 26, 2026 // Now, Rankin County Republican State Sen. Josh Harkins, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, has introduced legislation to protect the investments of state and local taxpayers in economic development projects that rely on taxpayer incentives. The bill ensures that Mississippi workers are entitled to a private ballot for any unionization vote. In a recent op-ed, Harkins explained: “Senate Bill 2202 is straightforward: for companies that choose to accept future state economic development incentives, any decision about union representation should be made through a private, secret-ballot election. The bill does not prohibit employees from organizing. It does not outlaw unions. It does not interfere with an employee’s right to choose union representation if a majority wants it. It simply sets an expectation that the decision is made in a way that protects (worker) privacy.”