ProPublica union goes on 24-hour strike over AI rules, layoffs, and pay

In short: Unionized ProPublica employees are stopping work for 24 hours as they push for contract terms covering AI use, job protections, and wages.

What happened

About 150 members of the ProPublica Guild, the union for workers at the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica, began a 24-hour work stoppage starting Wednesday. The union also asked the public to respect a “digital picket line” by not visiting ProPublica’s website, clicking its stories, or engaging with ProPublica content on other platforms.

The workers unionized in 2023 and have been negotiating their first collective bargaining agreement, which is a formal contract that sets rules for pay, benefits, and working conditions. The union says several issues are still unresolved, including pay, layoff protections, and “just cause” rules. “Just cause” means an employer must have a clear, fair reason to discipline or fire someone, like needing a good reason before taking away a driver’s license.

A major sticking point is how ProPublica will use generative AI, which is software that can produce text or images based on patterns in data (like an autocomplete that can write whole paragraphs). The union wants clear limits, worker input, and public disclosures when AI is used in producing stories. ProPublica management recently posted an AI policy, and union representatives said it was put in place without negotiation, prompting the NewsGuild to file an unfair labor practice charge.

ProPublica management did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the report.

Why it matters

This strike highlights a growing question across many workplaces, not just newsrooms, about who gets to decide how AI tools are used. For readers, the dispute also affects trust, since workers are asking for clear labels when AI helps produce published work.

Source: The Verge AI