Nearly 70 percent of US agencies use generative AI as public-sector unions win new guardrails

US public-sector unions are winning new protections against AI surveillance and automation-driven job losses, with nearly 70 percent of US government agencies already using generative AI according to an Ernst and Young survey. IFPTE Local 21 in Oakland secured retraining programs instead of AI-related layoffs after an October strike vote, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro guaranteed SEIU Local 668 human oversight during a pilot of OpenAI's ChatGPT Enterprise. Other wins include the Transport Workers Union in Ohio gaining veto power over autonomous vehicles, California Governor Gavin Newsom banning AI surveillance software and automated firings in September, and New York protecting state employees from AI displacement by law since late 2025.