The Price Workers Pay for Speaking Out About Artificial Intelligence: Concentrix Faces Charges for Unlawfully Retaliation

Charges filed with federal labor board against Concentrix for unlawfully retaliating against workers who spoke out against dehumanizing conditions call center workers face in the AI-age

LAKE MARY, FLORIDA – The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Concentrix Corp. for violating federal labor law when it fired two workers. CWA alleges that the employees were fired in retaliation for engaging in protected activity when they spoke out about their working conditions and the impact of artificial intelligence on workers in the call center industry.

On June 27th, an article was published in Bloomberg (Call Center Workers Are Tired of Being Mistaken for AI), which quoted two Concentrix call center representatives named Seth Sullivan and Jessica Lindsey. Sullivan and Lindsey spoke out about their working conditions in call centers in an era where workers are closely monitored and surveilled by AI-powered software and customers are increasingly frustrated with AI-generated agents. On the day that the article was published, management at Concentrix placed both workers on administrative leave and, shortly thereafter, terminated their employment.

The National Labor Relations Act protects the right of workers to speak to the media about their working conditions.

“Jessica and Seth bravely told the truth about what it’s like to work for Concentrix—and I believe they were fired for it,” said Christina Ronk, CWA Organizing Coordinator. “That’s not just wrong, it’s illegal. Their experiences shared in the Bloomberg article shine a light on a growing crisis in call centers: workers are being treated like machines, monitored like machines, and now—thanks to rigid scripts and AI integration—mistaken for machines by customers.”

Call center workers have been on the forefront of the AI revolution, increasingly experiencing the stressful and dehumanizing conditions of being surveilled by AI-powered software while facing work speed-ups and intensification facilitated by AI tools. At the same time, customers have become increasingly frustrated with call center agents when they are unable to distinguish between an AI agent and human representatives tightly monitored by AI-powered software for their adherence to a script that does not allow them to use their human intelligence to respond to the customer.

Investments in AI capital expenditures have become a key factor in economic growth, eclipsing consumer spending as a driver in GDP growth. With AI investments driving rapid change in the workplace, it is more imperative than ever that the right of workers to speak out about working conditions is vigorously protected.

“I was fired by Concentrix after speaking honestly in a news article about my experience as a call center worker,” said Seth Sullivan, a call center worker formerly employed by Concentrix. “I never claimed to speak for the company or shared anything confidential. This feels like punishment for telling the truth—and I’m not the only one. We are filing charges and hope this helps shine a light on what’s really happening behind the scenes.”

“I was terminated by Concentrix after speaking openly about my personal experience with AI in the workplace during an interview with Bloomberg,” said Jessica Lindsey, a call center worker formerly employed by Concentrix. “I never claimed to be speaking on behalf of the company, nor did I speak on anything confidential.”

“Instead of taking responsibility for the degrading and dehumanizing conditions they’ve created, I believe Concentrix punished these workers for speaking out. That’s retaliation, plain and simple,” said Christina Ronk. “CWA is proud to stand with Jessica and Seth, and we are filing Unfair Labor Practice charges against Concentrix to hold them accountable. Concentrix can try to silence individual voices, but they can’t stop the growing demand for dignity, respect, and a real say on the job. This isn’t just about two workers—it’s about an entire workforce fighting to be seen and heard as human.”

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion