Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Organizing Ai Clean Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel at WSLC convention urges clearer AI rules for public-sector bargaining and highlights organizing strategies
Summary
Panelists at the Washington State Labor Council convention said Washington lacks a clear statutory definition of artificial intelligence, limiting public-sector unions’ ability to bargain over technology; speakers also described open bargaining, federal-sector constraints and clean-energy organizing opportunities.
A plenary panel on July 22 at the Washington State Labor Council convention focused on organizing strategies across sectors and the intersection of artificial intelligence and collective bargaining.
Katie Durkin, a lobbyist for the Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME Council 28), said the state lacks a precise statutory definition of “artificial intelligence,” which complicates legislative and bargaining efforts. Durkin said that existing Washington law constrains what public-sector unions can bargain over — unions can address the effects of new technology after it is implemented but often cannot negotiate technology deployment in advance. She said well-crafted definitions and state leadership are needed so unions can negotiate protections for members as technology is introduced.
Aria Jocelyn, a vice president with UFCW Local 367, described open bargaining tactics her local used during recent contract talks. She said bringing members into bargaining sessions — including witnesses from worksites and community-backed initiatives such as workers’ bills of rights — changed employers’ behavior and helped secure a contract the union ratified the day before the convention.
Tiara Beauchamp, president of IFPTE Local 12, described obstacles in the federal sector — the Hatch Act limits political activity, federal workers cannot strike and recent disruptions to dues deductions have reduced active dues-paying membership — and asked for solidarity from private-sector affiliates as federal employees face downsizing and litigation.
Neil Hartman, government affairs director for UA Plumbers and Pipefitters, framed organizing in the context of the clean-energy economy. He said infrastructure and permitting challenges will determine whether Washington can capture clean-energy jobs and urged labor to pursue project-labor and community-workforce agreements so new projects produce union jobs and inclusive workforce outcomes.
Panelists urged coalition-building, member-led engagement and clearer legal frameworks (particularly for AI definitions and procurement) so unions can more effectively defend jobs and shape technology-driven workplace changes.
