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| Dear Colleagues, I am writing to share a significant victory that UUP achieved just before the holidays. As you may be aware, UUP has strongly advocated for labor protections in instances where SUNY deploys artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Legislation that UUP worked to have introduced and stewarded during the 2025 legislative session was recently signed into law by Governor Hochul which provides significant labor protections for UUP employees when AI technologies are introduced into our workplaces. Specifically, the new law provides that use of AI by SUNY shall not: – affect existing collective bargaining rights or representation; – result in an employee’s discharge, displacement or loss of position; this includes partial displacement such as a reduction in the hours of non-overtime work, wages, or employment benefits; and – permit the transfer of duties and functions currently performed by UUP members to an AI system. – alter the rights, benefits or privileges of SUNY employees, including but not limited to terms and conditions of employment, civil service status, and collective bargaining unit membership status. While this is a substantial victory for our members, this is just the beginning of what will be an ongoing fight to preserve our work as AI development continues and its utilization rapidly increases. We are aware, for instance, of a number of new AI technologies that SUNY is introducing that touch core areas of our work, including the SUNY AI tutor, the functions of which SUNY will be sharing with UUP leadership in the coming weeks. UUP is committed to remaining vigilant about the impacts of this and all of the AI programs that are making their way into our work. To that end, I urge you to contact your chapter or Labor Relations Specialist about any actions or incidents by your campus administration that may infringe upon the protections delineated above. In addition, UUP is in the process of establishing a reporting form through which members can detail campus AI utilization and flag any potential conflicts with our new legal protections. This information will be compiled, tracked and used to help UUP both enforce the current law and to press for ever-stronger protections for public employees as AI is introduced in our workplaces. In solidarity, Frederick E. Kowal, Ph.D. President, United University Professions |