As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes industries across the country, the AFL-CIO is making sure workers—not corporations—set the terms of this transformation. In its new report, Artificial Intelligence: Principles to Protect Workers, the labor federation lays out a clear roadmap to ensure technology serves people, not profits. Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) included a proposed 10-year moratorium on state-level artificial intelligence (AI) regulation that could have had serious repercussions for everyday workers. Luckily, the AI provision was removed from the bill before its passing.

The provision, sometimes referred to in shorthand as “OBBB AI,” would have:

  • Prevented states and local governments from enforcing most AI-specific laws for at least five years.
  • Tied a state’s compliance with the ban to its receipt of federal broadband funding.
  • The removal of the AI provision means that states and local governments retain their authority to enact and enforce their own AI regulations.

Putting Workers at the Center of Change

AI is already being used to hire, monitor, evaluate, and even fire workers. Too often, these systems are introduced without worker input or oversight. The AFL-CIO’s report warns that without strong guardrails, AI could deepen inequality, weaken collective bargaining, and strip workers of dignity and control on the job.

Nearly 80% of workers whose jobs are most exposed to AI earn less than $38,000 a year—disproportionately women and people of color. But with the right policies and worker voice, AI can also improve safety, efficiency, and quality of life on the job. The key is making sure workers have a seat at the table.

The AFL-CIO’s Core Principles

  • The Federation’s new framework sets out six clear principles for the fair and equitable use of AI in the workplace:
  • Worker Voice and Governance: Workers and unions must be involved in decisions about how AI is designed, deployed, and managed.
  • Transparency and Accountability: Workers have the right to know when AI is being used to make employment decisions—and how those decisions are made.
  • Equity and Non-Discrimination: AI must not reinforce existing biases or discrimination in hiring, pay, or promotions.
  • Job Quality and Training: Technology should enhance, not replace, human work. Workers must have access to training, upskilling, and fair transitions.
    Collective Bargaining Rights: Unions must have the power to negotiate over the use of AI in the workplace.
  • Public Policy and Oversight: Lawmakers must set clear standards for AI use that prioritize worker rights and protect state authority to regulate.

A Call to Action

For unions, these principles are more than policy—they’re a bargaining tool. They offer a framework to negotiate fair use of technology, demand transparency, and protect good jobs as industries evolve.

For employers, the message is simple: adopting AI without worker input is a recipe for backlash. True innovation happens when technology strengthens, rather than undermines, the workforce.

For lawmakers, it’s a reminder that technology policy is labor policy. The choices made today will determine whether AI drives shared prosperity or deepens inequality.

Building the Future Together

The AFL-CIO’s report makes one thing clear: the future of work must include workers. As President Liz Shuler put it, “AI should benefit everyone—not just tech billionaires and corporate shareholders.”

Union members across every sector are urged to learn more about how AI is being introduced in their workplaces and to make sure worker voice is front and center.

Read the full report and learn how unions are leading the conversation on the future of technology at https://aflcio.org/issues/future-work/ai.
When it comes to AI, the labor movement isn’t waiting for change—it’s leading it.