Our union members in Richardson County have not had a pay raise since 2022 because the elected County Commissioners have refused to agree to a fair and equitable contract with our Roads Department workers. We took the dispute to trial at the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR), and we’re awaiting a final decision on new wages.
As our workers await that decision, the Richardson County Commissioners unilaterally installed artificial intelligence cameras in county semi-trucks and pickups that not only face the road, but also surveil our members in the cab of the vehicle. The AI cameras are also GPS equipped and collect data on our members as they record them, and can even discipline our members without supervisory intervention.
When the County announced the installation of these cameras, our union demanded to bargain over the impact and implementation of this technology. The county refused to do so, and it began disciplining our members. In one case, a member was disciplined because the GPS said his grader didn’t move. The GPS did not show that our member was performing a two-day maintenance program on the grader in the shop. Management refused to overturn the discipline.
In response, our union filed a prohibited labor practice petition with the CIR, asking the CIR to order Richardson County to negotiate over the use of the surveillance and tracking technology. The CIR granted our motion for temporary relief which prohibits the county from disciplining our members based on the use of this technology while the case is pending.
Artificial intelligence will change the way work is done, and that’s why our union members have prioritized negotiating contract language that ensures good governance and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence. Our workers should not be surveilled by technology that makes decisions about the quality of our work, and we will continue to fight for a voice in the use of AI on the job for all members.