Click each scenario to see what your rights are and what concrete steps you can take right now.
My company announced AI is replacing part of my job.
If you have a union: Your employer is likely required to bargain with your union before implementing the change, not just notify them. The union can demand information about the AI system and negotiate over how the transition is handled — including retraining, severance, and redeployment. Contact your union rep immediately, before the change takes effect.
If you don't have a union: You still have the right to organize with coworkers to respond collectively. Two or more employees acting together to address this are protected under Section 7. Document everything, talk to coworkers off company systems, and consider consulting the NLRB at 1-844-762-6572.
My employer changed my job duties significantly because of AI tools.
If you have a union: Significant changes to job duties are likely a mandatory subject of bargaining. Your employer must bargain over the changes before implementing them, not just announce them. If they didn't, your union may have grounds for an unfair labor practice charge.
If you don't have a union: Changes to job duties alone don't automatically trigger NLRA protections — but if those changes are in retaliation for organizing activity, that is illegal. Document when changes occurred relative to any organizing you or coworkers engaged in.
My manager told me not to talk to coworkers about the AI layoffs.
Almost certainly a violation. This is a textbook violation of Section 7 of the NLRA. Your right to discuss working conditions — including layoffs, AI implementation, and how it affects your job — with coworkers is federally protected.
A manager who tells you not to discuss these topics is engaging in unlawful interference. Document exactly what was said, by whom, and when. This is the kind of evidence that supports an NLRB charge.
I signed a non-disparagement or confidentiality agreement. Does that override my rights?
Generally no — at least for organizing activity. Agreements that prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours, or working conditions are routinely found unenforceable by the NLRB. The right to engage in concerted activity cannot be signed away in most circumstances.
If you are unsure about a specific agreement, the NLRB helpline (1-844-762-6572) can advise you, or consult a labor attorney. Many offer free initial consultations.
I was fired after organizing coworkers around AI job concerns.
File an unfair labor practice charge immediately. There is a six-month statute of limitations from the date of the adverse action. Filing is free. If the NLRB finds merit, they can seek reinstatement and back pay on your behalf at no cost to you.
Bring documentation of your organizing activity, any communications from management, and your termination notice. You do not need a lawyer to file, though one can help.
File online: nlrb.gov
My company is using AI to monitor my productivity. Is that legal?
Monitoring itself is often legal, but there are limits. In unionized workplaces, employers generally must bargain over new monitoring systems before implementing them. In non-union workplaces, covert surveillance aimed at identifying and suppressing organizing activity can violate the NLRA.
If AI monitoring is being used to identify who is talking to coworkers about working conditions, that is likely unlawful. The law in this area is developing rapidly as AI monitoring becomes more common.
I'm being asked to train the AI system that's replacing my role.
If you have a union: Whether you can be required to train your replacement (human or AI) depends on your CBA and the specifics of the situation. Your union should be bargaining over this. If they haven't been consulted, that itself may be a violation.
If you don't have a union: This is not automatically illegal, but if you coordinate with coworkers to raise concerns collectively about being asked to train your replacement, that collective action is protected. You cannot be punished for raising this concern together. This is also a powerful organizing moment — it highlights exactly why collective voice matters.
My company set up an "AI Transition Committee" but it feels like a rubber stamp.
It might be an illegal "company union." Under the NLRA, employer-dominated committees that give the appearance of worker voice without real power are prohibited. If the AI transition committee was created by management, its members were chosen by management, and it has no real authority to negotiate outcomes, it could fall into this category.
The test is whether the committee genuinely represents employee interests or merely creates the illusion of participation while management makes all the actual decisions.
Understanding the specific limits on your employer's behavior gives you confidence to act.
Employer Limits → Steps to Take →