Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1251534
SAG-AFTRA, AFL-CIO Summit Gives Workers a Voice in Tech Debate Gabrielle Carteris stepped to the lectern in a Las Vegas ballroom in January with a message for labor leaders. "Study after study has pointed out that millions of jobs are at risk, not only in the United States, but abroad," the president of SAG-AFTRA told the crowd gathered in a Bally's Skyview ballroom for the 2nd Annual Labor Innovation & Technology Summit, held during CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show. "For some workers today, this is actually a reality, and in the very near future, it will be a reality for all workers." National Executive Director David White delivered the keynote address at the summit. "Those of us representing working people and the companies with which we engage have a tremendous opportunity to ensure the awesome power of technology is balanced with the basic values of treating people fairly, respecting their privacy and protecting their right to personal integrity," he said. That day, the audience for SAG-AFTRA's leaders stretched beyond the 26th floor of Bally's. The event was streamed on Facebook Live, reaching an audience of members and allies globally, and was covered extensively in the press. Together with the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA had assembled an unprecedented gathering of labor leaders, technology and entertainment industry executives, and member leaders for a frank conversation on how artificial intelligence and automation could impact the American and global economy. The summit included two panels. The first featured White alongside AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler; UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor; Carnegie Mellon University professor Lee Branstetter, who directs the Future of Work Initiative; and professor Louis Hyman, who leads the Institute for Workplace Studies at Cornell University. Broadcaster Cheri Preston moderated. The panel addressed the need to protect workers' rights as more automation, including robots, is introduced into workplaces. "How do we combine flexibility on the one hand and some measure of stability and job protection on the other? That is the real question for the 21st century," said Hyman. Shuler said organized labor is primed to adapt to changing technology. "From its origins, the labor movement has been dealing with technological change and has adapted to continually improve the lives of working families," she said. To help prepare his members for technological changes in their workplaces, Taylor said that UNITE HERE has begun addressing these issues in negotiations. During talks with Marriott International Inc., he recalled the union was able to secure a provision that the company had to provide at least six months' notice of technological changes. SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President and New Innovation and Technology Committee Chair Rebecca Damon and President Gabrielle Carteris, center, with committee members, from left, Randal Berger, Dileep Rao, Nick Fondulis and Ben Whitehair SHANE O'NEAL 55 SAG-AFTRA | Spring 2020 | sagaftra.org UNION LEADERS EXAMINE THE CHANGING WORLD OF WORK IN THE NEAR FUTURE