New York Times accused of AI surveillance of unionized staff
Unionized employees at The New York Times filed grievances and an unfair labor practice charge alleging the company uses AI to surveil and monitor staff in violation of their collective bargaining agreement. The unions also claim the Times refused to provide required information about its AI use despite multiple requests.
What happened
Unionized New York Times employees filed two grievances and an unfair labor practice charge against the Times, claiming the outlet uses artificial intelligence to surveil and monitor staff in violation of their collective bargaining agreement.
According to the unions, Times management has continually refused to provide information on the company's use of AI despite being required by federal law. The unions sent three requests for information beginning March 26, followed by requests on April 22 and May 6, seeking details on current, past, planned and contemplated use of AI and its impact on employees and workflow.
Reported impact
Benjamin Harnett, chair of the Tech Guild's generative AI committee, stated that using AI to surveil work violates the contract and creates an inaccurate picture of members' work, noting that tech work requires human judgment, problem-solving and skill that cannot be accurately assessed by AI analysis and proxy metrics.
Index analysis
The grievances and unfair labor practice charge were filed as the Times Guild, representing more than 1,500 editorial, ad sales and support staff, bargained for a new contract.
Governance controls
A Times spokeswoman stated the company disagrees with the characterizations in the grievance and will respond as part of the normal contractual process, noting the company has responded to over 80 requests for information from the Guild in recent years.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.