Amid concerns about AI's effect on hiring and job replacement, support for unions is increasing among American workers seeking protection.
New polling by Gallup showed that more people are treating organized labor as both a political idea and a practical buffer against unstable work environments.
Here's what to know
In the poll, Gallup found that 47% of Americans say unions should have more influence than they do. It is the highest level of support the pollster has recorded this century.
Gallup also said people's overall approval of labor unions was at 71%, a level similar to that of 1965.
The share of Americans who want unions to have less influence is also decreasing. Only 23% of Americans want labor unions to have less influence. In 2009, Gallup put that figure at a record 42%.
These trends are likely influenced by the rise of artificial intelligence, which employers are heavily pushing on employees.
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"Years of de-industrialization — economic policy now culminating in the rising threat of AI automation — have forced workers onto their heels, as once-ardent labor groups capitulate to pro-business forces," Futurism explained. "… If the broad collective of U.S. workers can tap into the long-forgotten legacy of the 20th century labor movement, it could mean … possibly one last chance to carve out protections against an automated future through workplace organizing."
Where can I learn more?
Anxiety over AI's impact on work is spilling into other fights too, from power demand to public trust. These stories show how labor worries fit into a much larger backlash over Big Tech's AI buildout.
• Across the economy, AI is coming for jobs, deepening security fears and public backlash.
• Big Tech's $725 billion AI boom has been straining power systems for a long time.
• In Britain, 100 data centers turned to gas as AI growth collided with climate action goals.
For workers watching automation reshape industries, AI can feel like one more source of instability. Through that lens, the jump in union support makes a lot of sense.
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