The Future of Work is Here: How Unions Must Embrace technology to Protect Workers in the age of Algorithmic Management
The workplace is undergoing a rapid change. Algorithmic management – where software dictates tasks, monitors performance, and even makes hiring and firing decisions – is becoming increasingly prevalent. While promising efficiency gains, this shift presents important challenges to worker rights and well-being. As the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) powerfully demonstrates in their recent report, unions must proactively adapt and invest in technological expertise to effectively represent their members in this new landscape.
For decades, unions have championed fair labor practices. Now, that fight extends into the digital realm. The stakes are high. Algorithmic systems aren’t neutral. they can perpetuate existing biases – as seen with facial recognition systems demonstrably making more errors when identifying individuals with darker skin tones – and frequently enough lack transparency, leaving workers vulnerable to unfair treatment.
The Erosion of Human Oversight
A common outcome of algorithmic management is cost-cutting, often manifesting as a reduction in human resources. Workers are increasingly finding themselves interacting with chatbots, navigating complex web forms, or sending appeals into what feels like a digital void. When things go wrong, accessing a human being to address concerns becomes a frustrating, frequently enough impossible, task.
This lack of recourse is unacceptable. Workers deserve a voice, a fair hearing, and the ability to challenge decisions that impact their livelihoods.
Unions as Tech advocates: A New Imperative
The ETUC report rightly argues that unions need to build internal technical capacity. This isn’t about becoming software developers overnight, but about gaining the skills to understand, analyze, and challenge the systems impacting workers.
Here’s how unions can lead the charge:
* Data Analysis: Unions should be able to independently analyze logs from algorithmic management systems during labor disputes. This requires developing analytical capabilities to uncover patterns of bias or unfair practices.
* “Counter Apps” & Worker Empowerment: Look to innovative examples like UberCheats (which verified driver mileage) and the Brazilian StopClub app (which facilitated collective bargaining for better rates). These “counter apps” provide an external check on employer automation and empower workers.
* Embrace “Adversarial Interoperability“: We champion the idea of users controlling technology.The rise of “tuyul” apps in Indonesia, which modify dispatch apps for gig riders, exemplifies this. This type of worker-driven innovation is powerful. Importantly, in the US, collective action enabled by these tools is increasingly protected from antitrust concerns.
* In-House Tech teams (or Co-ops): Developing internal tech expertise allows unions to create tools for organizers and workers to coordinate efforts. Recognizing the financial burden on individual unions, collaborative ventures – co-ops – offer a viable solution. There’s a growing pool of talented “public interest technologists” eager to contribute to this work.
The Platform Work Directive: A Step Forward,But Not Enough
The new European Platform Work Directive is a significant win for workers. It establishes the right to challenge automated decision-making, access algorithmic transparency, speak to a human representative, and have privacy protected.
However, rights on paper are meaningless without the ability to exercise those rights. This is where union involvement is crucial. Workers need support to understand their rights, gather evidence, and effectively challenge unfair algorithmic decisions.
Protecting Digital Rights: A 35-Year Commitment
At the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF),we’ve spent 35 years defending digital rights. We firmly believe that these rights are only as strong as our collective ability to claim them. The age of algorithmic management demands a proactive, technologically empowered labor movement.
The future of work is here. Unions must embrace technology not as a threat, but as a powerful tool to protect workers, ensure fairness, and build a more equitable digital future.
