AFL-CIO Advocacy Update: Collective Bargaining and AI Protections

AFL-CIO Director of Advocacy Jody Calemine joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to outline two urgent priorities for working people: restoring collective bargaining rights for federal workers and building practical guardrails for artificial intelligence in the workplace.

Calemine detailed the progress of the Protect America’s Workforce Act in the U.S. House, the strategy to advance a companion bill in the Senate and the labor movement’s push to ensure states can continue developing responsible AI protections that safeguard jobs, privacy and basic workplace rights.

• AFL-CIO-backed legislation to restore federal collective bargaining cleared the U.S. House, with bipartisan support, and now faces a Senate strategy fight.
• Collective bargaining remains a core economic tool, strengthening wages, benefits and workplace stability for working families.
• States are emerging as the main arena for AI guardrails, while labor and allies work to stop efforts that would block state-level protections.

The AFL-CIO is pressing forward on two fronts that increasingly define the modern labor agenda: protecting collective bargaining rights and ensuring artificial intelligence is deployed with enforceable safeguards for workers.

In today’s interview on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, AFL-CIO Director of Advocacy Jody Calemine provided a status report on federal legislation aimed at restoring bargaining rights for federal employees and described how organized labor is engaging in state policy fights to establish common-sense guardrails around AI.

The conversation, hosted by Ed “Flash” Ferenc, focused on practical legislative pathways, the role of grassroots pressure and the real-world stakes for workers whose wages, schedules and job security are shaped by decisions made far from the shop floor.

What is the Protect America’s Workforce Act?

Calemine said the AFL-CIO has been fighting to restore collective bargaining rights for federal sector workers through the Protect America’s Workforce Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. House.

The bill cleared a major hurdle by passing the House with 230 yes votes, he said, adding that the coalition included all House Democrats and roughly 20 House Republicans.

For labor, the vote was not simply symbolic. It established a clear record that collective bargaining rights are a mainstream workplace issue with bipartisan reach when lawmakers feel sustained constituent pressure.

The Senate Strategy: Overcoming the Filibuster

The next challenge, Calemine explained, is the U.S. Senate.

He pointed to a companion bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia that currently has 49 co-sponsors, including Democrats and independents, as well as two Republicans.

Calemine emphasized that moving the bill in the Senate requires more than quiet support. He urged workers and union households—especially those represented by Republican senators—to make direct contact through calls, emails and in-person constituent engagement.

He also described the procedural reality: in most circumstances, legislation can face a filibuster, raising the vote threshold above a simple majority. One strategic option, he said, is attaching the measure to a “must-pass” legislative vehicle when opportunities arise.

Calemine noted that efforts to add the proposal as an amendment to appropriations legislation did not succeed at the end of 2025, but he said the AFL-CIO will continue monitoring for viable legislative openings.

Collective Bargaining as an Economic Solution

Beyond the vote counts, Calemine framed collective bargaining as a direct response to the affordability pressures working families feel every day.

He argued that the affordability problem is not only about prices rising. It is also about wages failing to keep pace, leaving families with less purchasing power even when they are working full-time.

Collective bargaining, he said, remains one of the most reliable mechanisms for raising wages and improving benefits, while also giving workers a structured voice over scheduling, safety and job security.

Calemine also pointed to broad public support for unions, describing union favorability as high and rooted in the belief that unions help deliver economic security and a fair chance to get ahead.

Artificial Intelligence Guardrails for Workers

Ferenc shifted the discussion to artificial intelligence, a rapidly expanding force in workplaces across sectors.

Calemine said the central concern is not whether technology will be used—it will—but whether workers and the public will have enforceable protections regarding how AI affects hiring, scheduling, discipline, privacy and job displacement.

He described state-level initiatives as the most active arena for developing AI policy frameworks that address work, education and daily life, including rights and privacy.

Defending State Authority to Regulate AI

Calemine warned that some federal proposals have attempted to block state and local governments from enacting or enforcing AI regulations.

Labor and allied organizations intervened to oppose such efforts and helped ensure that a provision aimed at prohibiting state regulation was removed through overwhelming opposition, he said.

The underlying principle, he argued, is straightforward: if the federal government is not going to set meaningful workplace protections for AI, it should not prevent states from doing so.

AFL-CIO’s Message: Bring Workers to the Table on AI

Calemine closed with a message aligned with the AFL-CIO’s broader position: the decisions being made now about AI will shape work for decades.

For labor, that means workers must be included early—before systems are deployed—so that guardrails are built into policy and practice rather than added after harm occurs.

In the AFL-CIO’s view, the path forward is not to halt innovation. It is to ensure innovation does not come at the expense of worker dignity, safety, privacy and economic security.

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