Originally posted on Labor Today
Editor’s Note: On Tuesday December 10, 2024 LUEL Assistant National Secretary S.M. Cifone attended the International Workers Institute (IWI) Symposium on AI & Trade Union Movement. He spoke during the discussion period after the presentations from the two speakers. Once the IWI sends out the their written presentations we will publish them on Labor Today. S.M. Cifone’s comments can be read below.
First I would like to send solidarity from the class-oriented workers of the US to all the Palestinian and Syrian people throughout the world. My name is Scott and I am the Assistant National Secretary of Labor United Educational League in the United States. We are a movement of rank-and-file workers in the United States aimed and building a class-oriented center within the American trade union movement.
I would like to thank the WFTU, IWI for having this presentation today and I would like to thank the speakers today for a great presentation on the struggles the workers of the world face with the increasing implementation of AI. I would just like to give a quick update on some struggles facing the American working class due to the implementation of AI & automation. In October, the longshoremen on the East & Gulf Coast ports in the US went on strike due to the increased automation through AI instituted in the ports in the US. After 3-days on strike they came to a tentative agreement on wages and agreed to a 90 day extension on their expired Master Contract while they continued to negotiate on automation. Last month, negotiations were cut off and it appears they will be going back on strike January 15 with the goal of preventing automation on their ports.
Also, two years ago railroad workers in the US were blocked by the Biden regime from striking due to the Draconian Railway Labor Act signed into law here in 1926. Their main grievances were the railroads attempts to cut train crews to 1 person from an already reduced 2 person crew size due to automation. On top of this the railroads have introduced so-called “Precision Scheduled Railroading” which has led to cut inspection times & massive cuts in maintenance as well as expanded the train sizes which are as high as 3 miles long which lead to last year’s rail disaster in East Palestine, OH.
Labor United Educational League has started our research and are working on a plan to help the workers of America further understand the effects of increased automation and AI, as well as how to move forward as a class-oriented trade union movement. I must say, the presentations today have largely matched the discussions we have had on automation. One campaign are now working on is to struggle with American railroad workers to fight for the nationalization of American railroads in the Public Rail Now campaign. Under this plan the workers would hold a stake in the running of the railroads and could potentially mitigate the negative effects of automation and would allow its implementation to be done in the benefit of the workers and not the massive profits that currently go to the railroad cartels.
Thank You and Solidarity
