Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Missouri file an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB, alleging the use of intrusive algorithms to surveil and deter union organizing efforts. The lead complainant highlights concerns over workplace conditions and the need for the right to organise.
Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Saint Peters, Missouri, have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accusing the company of using “intrusive algorithms” to monitor and deter union organizing activities. The charge claims these surveillance practices interfere with employees’ rights to engage in protected concerted activity as guaranteed by Section 7.
Lead complainant Wendy Taylor, an organizing committee member and packer at the STL8 fulfillment center, described the workplace conditions as reminiscent of a prison due to the pervasive monitoring. Taylor, who was injured on the job, emphasized the need for the right to organize and ensure a safer work environment.
Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards noted that there has been no finding of unlawful activity by the NLRB, as the charge has yet to be investigated. Meanwhile, labor leaders and policymakers are increasingly calling for regulatory measures to address the use of AI tools in monitoring labor activities.
The charge comes amid broader concerns about workplace surveillance, with labor unions in Europe also advocating for action against such practices. The NLRB’s general counsel issued a memo in 2022 indicating plans to protect workers from AI-enabled monitoring of labor organizing.
