The UFCW is making sure technology works for workers.
Our workplaces are changing rapidly, and it can be hard to keep up. We’re not against technology – in some cases, it can make workplaces safer or more efficient. But it needs to be used to help workers and communities succeed, not as a way to eliminate good jobs or compromise privacy.
Unions and the future of work
Throughout our union’s history, we’ve seen many technical innovations introduced into our stores and facilities — from self-checkout in grocery stores to depluming and evisceration machines in poultry plants. Technology and automation have had a huge impact, both positive and negative, on our members. Through bargaining, UFCW members can have a voice in how companies implement and use AI, automated management, and surveillance.
Regulating AI to protect workers’ dignity and safety
When you have a union contract, you get a say in how your workplace changes, but many workers who aren’t represented by a union don’t. That’s why we support legislative efforts to regulate AI technology and ensure that every worker has a workplace where their privacy and safety take priority over everything else.
Surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labels
Grocery retail chains are rapidly expanding their use of Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), which can change prices remotely and in real time. Some ESL software has the capacity to deploy facial recognition, changing a product’s price based on data known about a shopper’s characteristics and behavior. This surveillance pricing, combined with ESLs, could harm retail workers and create a chaotic environment for consumers, leaving an undervalued workforce on the front line of angry customers. That’s why we support the Stop Price Gouging in Grocery Stores Act, which would ban ESLs and surveillance pricing, protect consumer privacy, and provide strong enforcement mechanisms to hold companies accountable for price gouging.
Self-checkout regulations
Grocery and retail stores across the country are using self-checkout technology to reduce the number of part-time and full-time paid cashier positions. The best way to prevent job loss and theft is through comprehensive staffing ratio requirements. The UFCW has led the charge for self-checkout staffing requirements in cities and states across the country.
