Jul 30, 2026 - CWA Hosts Artificial Intelligence Town Hall

On Tuesday, over 200 CWA members and retirees joined union leadership for an in-depth look at artificial intelligence (AI) and its impacts on our work and daily lives. Participants from across the United States and Canada heard from CWA Vice Presidents Trainor (CWA District 1), Honeycutt (CWA District 3), Osobase (CWA District 6), McAllister (CWA District 7), and Arce (CWA District 9), as well as NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss and CWA Public, Healthcare and Education Workers Vice President Margaret Cook. CWA District 1 Area Director for Legislation & Politics Rebecca Miller hosted the virtual town hall.

Other speakers included members representing CWA’s telecommunications, airline, healthcare, and medical industries, elaborating on the many abuses and misuses of AI that members currently face. CWA Local 7799 President Jade Kelly described medical professionals being forced to use AI for patient notes even though AI often makes errors that can be fatal if not caught, thereby creating unsustainable workloads as workers try to correct the generated content. Said Kelly, “AI is a shop floor issue—a working-class issue that is deeply felt by workers everywhere.”

Mike Davis, a media worker at The New York Times (TNG-CWA Local 31003) shared CWA victories in regulating AI through the power of a union contract and plans to roll out “AI Rights” cards, much like the “Weingarten Rights” cards CWA has distributed for years. NewsGuild-CWA President Schleuss shared that 90 contracts have been forged with language protecting workers from AI abuses by management.

CWA National Political Field Director Curtis Hierro provided details of our CWA legislative agenda as we push for bills, including the No Robot Bosses Act, to install important guardrails protecting workers and job applicants from the harms of automated decision systems. This legislative work is made possible by contributions from members and retirees to our Political Action Fund. Hierro also spoke about our ongoing “Fighting Oligarchy” trainings happening right now and the rollout of virtual versions of those trainings.

Click here to learn more about virtual Fighting Oligarchy trainings!

Participants also received several useful links, including one to our CWA AI Resource Hub as well as a GoFundMe link to help our CWA siblings (represented by TNG-CWA Local 37082) at Skagit News as they strike for AI protections.

CWA District 9 Vice President Arce helped wrap up the call, saying, “The future will either be like Star Trek or The Terminator. It’s up to us to decide which we are fighting for.”

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued subpoenas to New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The federal government subpoenaed several journalists represented by NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003) after they reported that the plane lacked advanced security features found in the traditional Air Force One and that the Secret Service had urged the president to fly home in the older model.

The Trump administration has also sought the phone records of several journalists and their relatives in an effort to unmask confidential sources who provided information for articles about the security capabilities of the new jet.

The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that the federal government can neither restrain nor control reporting on matters in the public interest, which is protected under the First Amendment.

On July 23, a federal judge grilled Justice Department lawyers for nearly an hour over the State’s omission of pertinent information, violation of regulations regarding investigations, and the scope of the requested phone records, which included records belonging to the mother of one journalist and the spouses of two others.

Lawyers for the Department of Justice withdrew their subpoenas rather than face the court denying them.

Click here to read more about the hearing.

“It’s our job as journalists to seek truth, ask questions, and ethically report our findings,” said Jim Luttrell, unit chair and senior staff editor at The New York Times.

Last week, CWA Local 3204 Vice President Tony Barlow testified at an Education and Workforce field hearing in Augusta, Ga., titled “Building an AI-Ready America: How AI is Creating Opportunities Across America’s Workforce.”

Barlow, an outside plant technician for AT&T in Atlanta spoke about the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption if the technology is put in place without proper guardrails to ensure worker safety and job security. Said Barlow, “CWA call center workers nationwide report that AI tools are designed to automate both frontline tasks, like note-taking, and management functions, like scheduling, training, and performance evaluations. In a 2023 survey, nearly 3,000 CWA call center members reported AI tools negatively impact their job quality. Rather than improve their jobs, most workers felt AI tools sped up work, expanded monitoring and discipline linked to surveillance, increased workplace stress, lowered job satisfaction, and did not improve customer service.”

Barlow went on to reference both the “No Robot Bosses Act” and the “Keep Call Centers in America Act.” Both bills are legislative priorities for CWA designed to minimize harm caused by AI to workers and customers.

Click here to watch his full testimony.

 
CWA Local 3204 Vice President Tony Barlow (left) testified about the real-world impacts of artificial intelligence on workers at the Education and Workforce field hearing last week before a panel of representatives, including Congresswoman Lucy McBath (right).

Last week, CWA Director of Human Rights, Education and Health & Safety, Angie Wells (above) served as the emcee at the NAACP 117th National Convention’s Labor Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, along with hosts, actress Wendy Raquel Robinson and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. CWA Central Region At-Large Diversity Executive Board Member Reggie Small also attended the event.

Titled “The Long Arc of Labor: 250 Years of Work and Resistance,” the luncheon featured topics including a look at the history of U.S. labor, from slavery to modern gig work; how Black labor shaped industries, institutions, and wealth creation; and exploring the intersection of the labor and civil rights movements.

CWA members, staff, and retirees participated in Fighting Oligarchy trainings in July, including in (clockwise from top left) Wisconsin (CWA District 4), in Arizona (CWA District 7), in Southern California (CWA District 9), and at the IUE-CWA Division Meeting in Florida.

Click here to learn about virtual Fighting Oligarchy trainings now available!

Earlier this month, NABET-CWA President Charlie Braico, with the unanimous approval of the NABET-CWA Sector Executive Council, bestowed the title of President Emeritus on former NABET-CWA Local 54042 President Ken Koscick. Assistant to the Sector President Ron Gabalski, along with other members, retirees, and supporters, also attended the informal ceremony.

President Braico described Koscick as a “strong and steady leader, totally committed to the members and to the mission.”

Click here to watch a video of the event.

Congratulations to NABET-CWA Local 54042 President Emeritus Ken Koscick and new Local 54042 President Macy McMaster!

 
NABET-CWA President Charlie Braico (third from right) celebrated the dedication and legacy of former NABET-CWA Local 54042 President Ken Koscick (center), honoring him with the title of “President Emeritus.” Others joined the celebration, including Assistant to the Sector President Ron Gabalski (second from right), NABET-CWA Staff Representative Dorethea Brown-Maxey (left), and newly-elected Local 54042 President Macy McMaster (left of Koscick).