{"id":196,"date":"2020-07-21T13:19:48","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T13:19:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ufcw.test.vmgdev.com\/?post_type=issues&#038;p=196"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:01:37","slug":"technology-and-the-future-of-work","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/better\/technology-and-the-future-of-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Jobs Safe from Automation and AI Technology"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">The UFCW is making sure technology works for workers.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our workplaces are changing rapidly, and it can be hard to keep up. We&#8217;re not against technology &#8211; in some cases, it can make workplaces safer or more efficient. But it needs to be used to help workers and communities succeed, not as a way to eliminate good jobs or compromise privacy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unions and the future of work<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Throughout our union&#8217;s history, we&#8217;ve seen many technical innovations introduced into our stores and facilities \u2014 from self-checkout in grocery stores to depluming and evisceration machines in poultry plants. Technology and automation have had a huge impact, both positive and negative, on our members. Through bargaining, UFCW members can have a voice in how companies implement and use AI, automated management, and surveillance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"embed\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Luis Rivera (Local 371)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZeEX0GzjwV8?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"heading\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regulating AI to protect workers\u2019 dignity and safety<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you have a union contract, you get a say in how your workplace changes, but many workers who aren\u2019t represented by a union don\u2019t. That&#8217;s why we support legislative efforts to regulate AI technology and ensure that every worker has a workplace where their privacy and safety take priority over everything else.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels<\/strong><br>Grocery retail chains are rapidly expanding their use of Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), which can change prices remotely and in real time. Some ESL software has the capacity to deploy facial recognition, changing a product&#8217;s price based on data known about a shopper&#8217;s characteristics and behavior. This surveillance pricing, combined with ESLs, could harm retail workers and create a chaotic environment for consumers, leaving an undervalued workforce on the front line of angry customers. That&#8217;s why we support the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/4966\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act<\/a><\/strong>, which would ban ESLs and surveillance pricing, protect consumer privacy, and provide strong enforcement mechanisms to hold companies accountable for price gouging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ufcw.org\/actions\/campaign\/stop_electronic_shelf_labels\/\">Learn more about our campaign against ESLs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Self-checkout regulations<\/strong><br>Grocery and retail stores across the country are using self-checkout technology to reduce the number of part-time and full-time paid cashier positions. The best way to prevent job loss and theft is through comprehensive staffing ratio requirements. The UFCW has led the charge for self-checkout staffing requirements in cities and states across the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"tw-max-w-217 tw-m-auto tw-px-6 rich-text contained-block\" data-module=\"paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unchecked automation can harm workers and consumers. Here\u2019s what unions do to protect people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":8,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-196","issues","type-issues","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Keeping Jobs Safe from Automation | The Future of Work Keeping Jobs Safe from Automation and AI Technology - The United Food &amp; Commercial Workers International Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Technology should be used to support workers, not replace them with robots. 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