On a Sunday afternoon, I stood with over 100 New Yorkers in a very familiar place in this city: in a queue. We had come for a rally to launch Union Now, a new nonprofit organization run by Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, to support workers in the fight for fair collective bargaining. Among those in attendance were several local and national union leaders, including Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders appeared as keynote speakers – two personalities of stature who have become central figures in the growing left wing of the Democratic Party.
Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter opened the event with an acoustic set that culminated in a version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” with Sara Nelson, a bittersweet moment that recalled a bygone era when leftists and unions had far more influence in national politics. The rally celebrated the strength of unions but also highlighted the consequences of their decline. Over the past 40 years, union density in the United States has plummeted from over 20 percent to just over 10 percent. During this time, inequality has increased, millions of working-class jobs have been offshored, and politics has become increasingly driven by the interests of the wealthy.
Speakers at the rally took aim at AI and the Silicon Valley bigwigs, portraying them as symbols of increasingly elitist politics. Mamdani and Sanders both emphasized that artificial intelligence and robotics pose massive threats to workers. Those I spoke to expressed a mix of concern and outrage about AI and automation. A member of a local carpenters’ union said he was concerned because neither party had yet shown a worker-friendly path on the AI issue – an issue that will hit like a “freight train” in the coming years. About halfway through the rally, a man nearby shouted “Fuck Sam Altman” — and received applause.
Automation as a challenge
Concerns about automation pose a serious challenge to organized labor as it tries to regain its former prominence. While politicians from left to right are pushing for the relocation of production – traditionally a stronghold of unions – some see a large proportion of these repatriated jobs as already automated. They point to growing automation in China and the rise of so-called “lights-out” factories, which are so automated that lighting is no longer even needed. In view of this development and the fear of job losses in all sectors, many union leaders emphasize the importance of gaining more influence in politics.
This is exactly where organizations like Union Now are supposed to provide additional support. As union density continues to decline and the Trump administration systematically dismantles worker protections, Sara Nelson hopes the organization can become a force that connects unions and workers with additional resources as they fight for fair wages and better protections. After the event, she told me her goal was to create an additional support mechanism for workers who want to organize. “If we can help them avoid having to work an extra shift or take a second job, and they can focus on organizing, then they can win,” she said.
Nelson’s vision of a renewed strength of organized labor reflects a deeper shift in American politics. As the consequences of union decline and rising inequality become more apparent, more and more people are looking for a political alternative that puts work and workers back at the center. Sanders has long shared this vision – he has championed the issues of the working class for decades. At 84, he has witnessed both the height of that power and its decline.
Sanders in conversation
After the rally, I spoke with Sanders about the decline of unions, automation and the future of work.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
We are here today to celebrate and advocate for organized labor and unions – but the reality is that union density in the United States has declined dramatically over the past 40 years. What is driving this decline and do you think it can be reversed?
I absolutely believe he can be turned around. There are several reasons why this happened. We have had trade policies in this country – NAFTA, Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China – that have resulted in the closure of thousands of factories where workers were not unionized. Millions of well-paying jobs, many in unions, were lost. Union membership declines as jobs disappear and union members die.
Fight against anti-union sentiment
Second, we have seen an unprecedented wave of anti-union activity and union busting by companies. I’m now the ranking minority member on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and almost every week I’m on the phone with workers across the country who are trying to organize and win a collective bargaining agreement – and who are confronted with the worst ways companies try to make unions impossible.
These companies break the law every day, and without consequence – which is why we urgently need strong laws that allow workers to form unions without their companies and bosses taking illegal action against them.
There has been a lot of talk today about the threat of AI and automation. When we talk about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US, how many people do you think are saying that a majority of those jobs will ultimately be replaced by robots?
I’m working on it intensively. For example, on Thursday we are hosting an event in Washington with many union leaders. The focus will be on AI and robotics – what it means for the working class and how we deal with it. It’s an issue that I’m working very, very hard on.
The most momentous revolution
I hope everyone understands: This is not just another economic transformation. This is by far the most momentous industrial revolution in the history of the world. It makes the transition from agriculture to industry look slow and tame compared to what we are currently experiencing.
The crucial question is: who will benefit from AI and robotics? Will they only benefit the billionaires who invest huge sums and whose goal is to put workers on the streets and reduce labor costs? Or will this technology be used to improve everyone’s standard of living? This is the fight of the hour.
Don’t you see job losses as inevitable?
What I see is that the battle is precisely over who benefits from AI and robotics. If you’re an employee and robots are helping, and your workweek drops from 40 to 20 hours – with no loss in wages – is that a bad thing? I don’t believe. So the question is: who benefits? And we have to make sure that it’s working people – not Mr. Musk, Mr. Bezos and the others.
Trade unions and democracy
Do you see the development of trade unions as important for democracy?
Absolutely. Democracy is currently under attack from several sides. Trump is clearly an autocrat and does not believe in democracy. Nobody doubts that. But it’s not just Trump.
We also have a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires spend unlimited amounts of money to buy the candidates they want. We need a strong, organized political force that demands that this country remains a vibrant democracy – one person, one voice – where the needs of working people are heard, not an oligarchy where the rich and powerful control our government. And the strongest force to achieve this goal is the trade union movement.
A growing portion of the Democratic Party is looking to the midterms and the future and seeing a different path forward — focused on supply shortages, deregulation and more affordable construction. On the one hand, there is definitely some overlap with what you stand for. On the other hand, many proponents of this “abundance” ideology are skeptical of unions, arguing that they drive up prices.
I was mayor for eight years. I work in the US Senate. Bureaucracy is real. It slows things down, often unnecessarily. We have to deal with that. We must make government efficient and productive. No question. With a committed, well-paid, motivated workforce – that is the goal.
The idea that simply reducing regulation will solve the crisis facing the working class of this country today is absurd. That’s not how it works. We need a political movement led by the working class, led by unions, fighting for an agenda that meets the needs of all. That means healthcare for all, raising the minimum wage to a living level, building the millions of affordable housing units we need.
