ProPublica Staff Set to Strike 24 Hours Over AI Protections and Job Security

Unionized employees at ProPublica, roughly 150 members of the ProPublica Guild, will walk off for a 24-hour period starting Wednesday to support a digital picket line as they push for a new collective bargaining agreement. The guild has been negotiating since unionizing in 2023, with unresolved issues including safeguards around artificial intelligence, “just cause” standards for discipline or firing, protections against layoffs, and fair wages.

“We’ve been trying to resolve this quietly for more than two years,” says Katie Campbell, a guild member. “This moment is about showing management and the public how vital these concerns are for the people who produce this work.”

A March vote gave the union the option to strike if talks did not yield a deal. A central sticking point is how generative AI will be used at ProPublica and how such use would be disclosed to readers. The union has been negotiating AI-related protections for inclusion in the contract, arguing that the company’s current AI policy amounts to unilateral action.

The NewsGuild, which represents ProPublica staff, filed an unfair labor practice charge this week over the policy’s implementation. “The guidelines are a bit nebulous,” notes Mark Olalde, a member of the bargaining committee. “We’re seeking to enshrine specific AI-related terms in the contract so staff have clear protections.”

AI usage across newsrooms has varied. The New York Times has leveraged AI to help analysts sift through documents in high-profile investigations, while ProPublica reporters have used AI tools in work such as examining diversity and equity initiatives at nonprofits. Conversely, a Fortune editor has published hundreds of AI-written stories, illustrating the spectrum of approaches in the industry.

Campbell stresses that union members hold mixed views on AI: some see it as a means to automate tedious tasks and free time for bigger projects, while others worry about replacing human roles in core functions. The overarching goal is to secure protections against AI-driven layoffs and to ensure staff have a say in how these tools evolve, including public-facing disclosures when AI assists in producing stories.

In a show of solidarity with the stoppage, the union asks readers not to visit ProPublica sites, click on stories, or engage with ProPublica content on partner platforms for the 24-hour period. Management did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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