--- title: "Unions Attack AI for Menacing Human Jobs" description: "A host of labor leaders spoke at a press conference organized by Bernie Sanders in a unified call to put human workers before AI." date: "2026-04-25" modified: "2026-04-25" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/union-labor-ai-bernie" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Unions Attack AI for Menacing Human Jobs ![A human hand and a robotic hand are positioned over a white keyboard. The background features a bright orange grid pattern with a large yellow circle behind the keyboard. The image highlights the contrast between human and artificial intelligence working together.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images* Workers across the US have had it with the prognostications of AI taking over the world. And their unions — or [what's left of them](), anyway — are taking notice. Last week, the leaders of some of the largest trade unions in the US came together for a conference with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, [*Axios* reports](). Together, they presented a united opposition against tech companies pushing AI and robotics into labor, renewing Sanders' call for a pause on AI development until there are ample safety nets in place to catch workers whom labor leaders fear will be displaced. "We are here to sound the alarms on AI," president of stories AFL-CIO Liz Shuler said at the press conference. "This race that everybody seems to think we're in to advance AI at all costs — with no guardrails or protections for people — is reckless and dangerous." The horse race for AI dominance between tech companies in the US has had ripple effects for workers throughout the country. Though researchers [haven't reached consensus]() on whether AI is actually replacing jobs, workers are still feeling the squeeze as [AI-happy]() executives [institute layoffs]() and [hiring freezes]() regardless, as if to declare that the AI revolution is right around the corner. "Human beings have to come first in this equation, not an afterthought," United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain said. "A handful of billionaires want all the profits," but the "working class has to get our fair share." Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers — which, it should be noted, received [$23 million in funding]() from AI companies Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic — called for the federal government to put people ahead before tech. "We need the Congress, we need this administration to actually put people first, to make sure that the human being is in charge of society, not a robot and not a chatbot," she said. Sanders, who recently proposed legislation to [halt data center construction]() throughout the US, also unloaded some scathing comments. "The richest people on Earth — Mr. Musk, Mr. Zuckerberg, Mr. Bezos, Mr. Ellison and others — what they want to do is replace human workers," Sanders told attendees. "Some of us are old-fashioned, and we believe in human beings." **More on AI:** *[Gen Z Sabotaging AI at Work So It Won’t Take Their Job]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()