News & Commentary June 1, 2023

[Omaha Steve]

https://onlabor.org/techwork-june-1-2023/

By Maddie Chang

Maddie Chang is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s Tech@Work, a helpline fired its workers after they unionized and then introduced a chatbot in their stead (which promptly malfunctioned), and Uber drivers in Nigeria who have financed their cars through Uber’s financing partner are having their cars impounded.

Shortly after workers at the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) hotline formed a union, the organization fired the workers and introduced a chatbot as an alternative to the helpline service. In the last year, the helpline, which was staffed by six permanent staff and 200 volunteers, provided services to 70,000 people last year through calls, text, and chat. The staff filed for an election with the national National Labor Relations Board back in March because of shortages, training, and advancement issues. After successful election results were certified, the NEDA fired the staff and introduced a wellness chatbot named “Tessa” as an alternative means of providing support. The union told Vice: “A chat bot is no substitute for human empathy, and we believe this decision will cause irreparable harm to the eating disorders community.” NEDA clarified that the chatbot is a rule-based chatbot and not powered by ChatGPT, and that the chatbot is not a replacement of the hotline but rather “a completely different program offering.”

FULL story at link above.