Posts tagged Artificial Intelligence
Faculty, staff union reaches agreement with City Colleges of Chicago, strike averted
October 20, 2026 // The Cook County College Teachers Union and the community college system reached a tentative agreement overnight Sunday into Monday. The new four-year contract was approved just before 4 a.m. Monday. The union said the agreement includes salaries that keep pace with inflation. The agreement also protects health insurance, and puts safeguards in place regarding artificial intelligence, according to the union.
Congress Just Learned an Important Lesson About Collective Bargaining
October 14, 2026 // Eight congressional employees negotiating with a strongly pro-union member of Congress took four years to get their agreement right. FLCA essentially gives private-sector workers and employers roughly four months before the process can move toward having outsiders determine the terms for them. And those agreements can be vastly more complicated than a congressional office contract.
Shawn Fain Claims Victory in UAW Election Rout
October 13, 2026 // UAW Vice President Mike Booth, who ran on a ticket opposing Fain, told The Wall Street Journal that there is no doubt about the outcome. Fain faced five challengers, including a UAW vice president with whom he had feuded. Fain’s allies defeated top UAW officials whom Fain viewed as impediments to his agenda for vice-presidential slots and other key roles.
Senate confirms Keith Sonderling, a business ally, as labor secretary
October 1, 2026 // As Sonderling officially takes over at the agency, labor and business groups expect its focus on Trump’s priorities to continue, including deregulation, expanding apprenticeships, reshoring manufacturing jobs and readying the workforce for the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence. Sonderling, who is popular in Republican policy circles in Washington, previously served as a top Labor official during Trump’s first term before an appointment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Aquarium of the Pacific Employees Form Union
September 26, 2026 // Union officials said key factors driving the unionization efforts are the growing use of generative artificial intelligence in the aquarium’s operations, wages that do not keep up with the cost of living, and a lack of professional development opportunities.
Blue-Collar Jobs Are the New Flashpoint in Data-Center Fight
September 3, 2026 // During construction, data centers need people who can pour concrete, wire electric panels and install equipment like power generators and chillers to keep servers cool. Once the centers are built, they don’t employ as many workers but provide steady streams of tax revenue to fund local schools and other projects. Some locals have opposed the tax breaks that attract the investment, prompting some states to pause or claw them back. The build-out has pushed Meta Platforms and other tech companies to invest in training skilled workers. OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft also have partnerships with unions and have highlighted worker shortages as a key bottleneck for the U.S. in the AI race.
Toledo NewsGuild members reject The Blade’s final two-year contract proposal
September 2, 2026 // Members voted 46-25 against the proposal, citing language they say could allow union work to be outsourced to AI, freelancers, managers or other sources.
Boeing engineers, technical workers reject contracts, could strike after fall deadline
August 24, 2026 // In voting results released Friday, members of SPEEA’s Professional Unit, which represents nearly 13,000 engineers and scientists at Boeing, rejected the proposed contract with a 64.3% no vote, 7,238 to 4,027. Members of SPEEA’s Technical Unit, which represents more than 4,000 analysts, designers, technicians, and other specialists, rejected their proposed contract with a 71.9% no vote, 2,795 to 1,094.
Op-ed: AI isn’t replacing workers. It’s creating bosses.
August 4, 2026 // Palagashvili posits that solo self-employment could be growing due to AI. The paper considers the industries with the highest AI adoption rates and likelihood of AI exposure: professional services, information, education, finance and insurance. It uses construction and wholesale trade as control groups, since those industries have low AI adoption and exposure.
SoFi Stadium workers set to vote on strike ahead of World Cup
June 1, 2026 // The union has made demands that include, according to The Athletic: –A guarantee that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will not be allowed on venue grounds during the World Cup, saying their presence could jeopardize employee safety. Government officials have said ICE agents would be on hand with security and not immigation enforcement their primary duty. –Restricted use of subcontractors. –No use of automation or artificial intelligence that could cause the loss of union jobs. –Release of information to the union that would detail things such as work hours or the distribution of tips and service charges.