Today's AFL-CIO Press Clips
LABOR AND TECHNOLOGY
Nurses are pushing back on AI in healthcare. Here's why.
Advisory Board
By Staff
May 21, 2024
According to a new survey from National Nurses United (NNU), 60% of nurses don't trust their employers to prioritize patient safety when implementing new artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For the survey, NNU gathered responses from over 2,300 RNs and members of the organization between Jan. 18 and March 4. In total, 40% of nurses said their employer had introduced "new devices, gadgets, and changes to the electronic health records" over the last 12 months. Half of respondents also said that their employers used algorithms based on electronic health record (EHR) data to determine patient acuity and need for nursing care.
SAG-AFTRA applauds Scarlett Johansson for rebuking OpenAI over voice that sounded like her
NBC News
By Daniel Arkin
May 21, 2024
SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents thousands of Hollywood actors, commended Scarlett Johansson for publicly calling out OpenAI for using a voice that sounded "eerily similar" to hers in its new GPT-4o model. "We thank Ms. Johansson for speaking out on this issue of crucial importance to all SAG-AFTRA members," a spokesperson for the guild said in a statement Tuesday. "We share in her concerns and fully support her right to have clarity and transparency regarding the voice used in developing the Chat GPT-4o appliance 'Sky.'" "SAG-AFTRA members are among the most talented and often most recognizable people on the planet," the union spokesperson added. "That is why we’re strongly championing federal legislation that would protect their voices and likenesses — and everyone else’s as well — from unauthorized digital replication."
Actors union backs Scarlett Johansson after claim of voice misuse by OpenAI
Reuters
By Reuters
May 21, 2024
SAG-AFTRA, an influential body representing television and radio artists, on Tuesday backed Scarlett Johansson after the American actress raised concerns over the voice feature of a new OpenAI system that she said sounded "eerily similar" to her own. OpenAI unveiled its latest artificial intelligence model, GPT-4o, last week, featuring an audio-interacting persona named "Sky". Johansson said on Monday that she had previously turned down a request from the company to use her voice for this system. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman clarified that the voice belonged to a different professional actress and said he was removing Sky's voice from the company's products.
POLITICS
Labor unions call for repeal of Trump tax cuts
The Hill
By Tobias Burns
May 21, 2024
Top U.S. labor unions are saying they’ve had enough of the Trump tax cuts and want them repealed. Unions including the United Auto Workers, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the Screen Actors Guild and the National Education Association joined dozens of progressive groups in sending a letter to congressional leaders Tuesday that blasted the Trump cuts as unfairly designed and fiscally irresponsible.
Reps. Fitzpatrick, Cartwright introduce bill to protect public employees’ right to unionize
Financial Regulation News
By Dave Kovaleski
May 21, 2024
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Matt Cartwright (D-PA) introduced legislation that seeks to protect the right of public employees to join unions and engage in collective bargaining on behalf of middle-class workers. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to overturn more than 40 years of legal precedent, effectively public employee unions of their ability to collect fees for representation they are legally required to provide workers. Since that Janus ruling many states have passed laws threatening workers’ rights and weakening unions.
TRANSPORTATION
Microtranist Is Taxpayer Funded Uber, Advocates Warn — And It’s a Threat to Real Transit
Streets Blog USA
By Kea Wilson
May 20, 2024
Advocates are sounding the alarm that America's much-hyped "microtransit" services are essentially just app-taxis by another name — and they worry the harm they cause to drivers, passengers, and our communities could be even worse than Uber and Lyft over time. According to a new report from the Amalgamated Transit Union, app-based, on-demand "microtransit" services are exploding across America, with at least 100 regions either complementing or outright replacing their traditional fixed-route vehicles with sedans, vans, or cutaway bus shuttles. And much like the early days of Uber, these services offer a tantalizing promise: taxi-like, door-to-door service, give or a take a few detours to pick up other passengers going in the same direction, in dense city neighborhoods and far-flung rural areas alike — and all for a price on par with a traditional bus ticket.
ORGANIZING
Atlanta Sky Battle As Flight Attendants Rally For Better Pay And Unionization At Delta's Doorstep
Hoodline
By Rohit Mehta
May 21, 2024
Hundreds of flight attendants took to the streets in Atlanta, raising their voices in solidarity for better pay and benefits. Things heated up in front of the Hilton Atlanta as the 51st annual Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) Board of Directors convention made its purpose known loud and clear.
JOINING TOGETHER
Boeing union firefighters to vote on new contract proposal
The Daily Herald
By Janice Podsada
May 21, 2024
Boeing’s union firefighters will vote on a new contract Wednesday after Boeing presented them with an amended proposal.About 125 Boeing firefighters, who are members of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local I-66, are seeking a contract that includes competitive pay and better staffing. The union’s contract expired March 1.
City employees pay and benefits plans approved
Daily Freeman-Journal
By Robert E. Oliver
May 20, 2024
The City Council of Webster City approved pay raises averaging 4% for city employees at its regularly-scheduled meeting Monday at City Hall. Webster City Police staff will receive two 4% increases for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Both police and firefighters are represented by unions, and, accordingly, their pay and benefits are subject to collective bargaining.
Why some REI unions are striking during its anniversary sale
Modern Retail
By Melissa Daniels
May 21, 2024
In an attempt to put pressure on the company to reach a contract, workers at some of the unionized REI locations are engaging in one-day work stoppages during the outdoor retailer’s annual Anniversary Sale that kicked off Saturday. As of Monday, at least two of the 10 unionized REI stores engaged in a work stoppage during the anniversary sale that runs through May 27. The first was on Saturday at the Chicago’s Lincoln Park location and two days later workers at REI’s Cleveland location walked off Monday. The workers are asking REI to commit to reaching a national agreement for its unionized stores by the end of 2024 — and to refrain from any workplace condition changes, retaliation or bad-faith bargaining in the process.
Union picket shows fight over working conditions at Saint Vincent Hospital isn't over
Worcester Magazine
By Meg Trogolo
May 21, 2024
In March, eight nurses sued St. Vincent Hospital and owner Tenet Healthcare under Massachusetts’ Healthcare Whistleblower Law, alleging the hospital fired them after they filed complaints about an overwhelming workload that made it impossible to provide patients with the care they needed. Members of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1445, the union chapter that represents the hospital’s personal care assistants, secretaries, housekeepers, anesthesia technicians, and a host of other employees, say conditions are no better for the workers who keep the hospital running.
Contract Deal Poised to End Months-Long Legal Worker Strike
City Limits
By Emma Whitford
May 21, 2024
Over 100 attorneys, paralegals and support staff with the nonprofit legal services provider Mobilization for Justice (MFJ) are expected to return to work as soon as Wednesday, ending a 13-week strike that secured wins including a $60,000 salary floor for non-lawyers. A majority of participating union members, 72 percent, voted Monday to ratify management’s latest offer, the union, Legal Services Staff Association Local 2320, said Tuesday.
Western Educational Student Employees are on strike
The Stand
By Staff
May 21, 2024
Beginning today at 5am, 1,100 Educational Student Employees at Western Washington University walked off the job and onto the picket line. Despite bargaining all day Monday, the University administration made little movement, still refused to agree to the ESEs’ demands for a fair contract, and walked out of negotiations. Hundreds of ESEs will gather at Old Main at 1pm for an action. Press is welcome to attend. Two years ago ESEs formed their union, Western Academic Workers United (WAWU-UAW), in response to the issues they face as they work their way through higher education. The union won recognition last June and has been bargaining a first agreement with the University administration since September.
REI Workers Strike in Chicago, Forcing Store to Close Temporarily
Single Tracks
By Jeff Barber
May 20, 2024
On Saturday members of REI Union Chicago staged a one-day walk out, temporarily forcing the closure of the company’s Lincoln Park location. Unionized REI workers are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The union has been in negotiations with the company since September with demands for better pay, safety, job security, and benefits. Workers accuse the outdoor retailer of failing to bargain in good faith over the course of six meetings with company attorneys in the seven months since September.
NLRB
‘You feel like you’re in prison’: workers claim Amazon’s surveillance violates labor law
The Guardian
By Michael Sainato
May 21, 2024
Amazon has been accused of using “intrusive algorithms” as part of a sweeping surveillance program to monitor and deter union organizing activities. Workers at a warehouse run by the technology giant on the outskirts of St Louis, Missouri, are today filing an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
IN THE STATES
Annual Tradeswomen lobby day highlights opportunities in construction industry
Dupage Policy Journal
By DuPage Policy Journal
May 20, 2024
Springfield was recently the host city for the annual lobby day event organized by Tradeswomen. This gathering, which took place last week at the State Capitol, served as an excellent platform for individuals to gain insights into the trades and establish connections with union representatives. The focus of these interactions was primarily on exploring the numerous opportunities available for women in the construction industry. One of the highlights of this event was a discussion about women's potential in the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). It was emphasized that there are no limitations to what women can achieve in this trade.
WAGE THEFT
Ex-workers still waiting on hotel’s $400,000 payout for largest wage theft in Oakland’s history
Silicon Valley
By Shomik Mukherjee
May 21, 2024
The hotel that owes the largest wage theft payout in Oakland’s history still hasn’t paid a dollar to 128 ex-workers, according to union representatives who are pressuring the city to take legal action. Workers at the Radisson Hotel near the city’s airport were owed $20 an hour instead of the $15 rate they made between July 2019 and April 2020 because they declined health benefits — a wage-increase measure approved by voters in the 2018 election. Last fall, the city’s Department of Workforce and Employment Standards found the Edes Avenue hotel owed more than $400,000 in back pay to housekeepers, front desk staff and other employees who were almost all laid off when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. But the local chapter of UNITE HERE Local 2 now says the affected workers still haven’t seen a single check, even though the Radisson missed a deadline in December to appeal the city’s finding.