Unions’ Bargaining Chip: Artificial Intelligence

Trump’s AI framework, unveiled last month, left out workplace safety and anti-discrimination protections. So unions are filling the gap the only way they can — at the bargaining table.

The pattern is familiar. When federal law goes quiet, labor negotiates its own rules, then leans on those rules to pressure lawmakers to codify them.

It’s already happening. SAG-AFTRA won consent-and-pay rules for AI replicas back in 2023. The Culinary Workers Union got casinos to give advance notice before deploying new tech. The Writers Guild and News Guild won oversight provisions.

Employers, meanwhile, are negotiating for flexibility — management-rights language and MOUs that preserve their ability to deploy AI as it evolves.

Maintaining the flexibility and entrepreneurial ability to implement technology – like AI – as it evolves should be at the heart of every employer’s “must have” list when negotiating a collective bargaining agreement.