Technology in Society, 2021
The future of labor unions in the age of automation and at the dawn of AI. Gadi Nissim,
Tomer Simon. En Technology and Society, Vol. 67, 2021
(Volume 67- In progress (November 2021) This issue is in progress but contains articles that are final and fully citable.

“Abstract
The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated an already-ongoing process of massive digitalization in
economic production and services. AI and robotics are getting, for the first time, autonomous
and self-learning, with human-like capabilities. The discussion about digitalization and the
future of work has become even more imperative. So far,  labor unions  were the leading
institutions representing employees. However, the rising possibility of human substitution by
intelligent machines puts in question the feasibility of labor unions’ policies. This development
undermines their traditional power sources, which depend on the membership of masses of
paid workers and on their ability to stop production. In this context, this paper aims to discuss
the challenges confronting unions in capitalist democracies. Most scholarly literature on labor
relations has embraced the assumption that the digital revolution will eventually bring new,
better jobs. We suggest considering an alternative scenario, namely, a digital revolution that
causes mass replacement of human workers and structural, technological unemployment,
which might expand our point of view, particularly for designing public policy. We suggest that
unions now have two crucial roles. The first is to safeguard workers", rights and interests in the
transition from an economy based on paid labor to an economy based on automated-autonomous production; and second, they should transform their primary calling from representing employees to representing the social rights of all citizens, and particularly the material interests of lay people. ENLACE AL ARTÍCULO COMPLETO (EN INGLÉS)

Transfer - 2007
How can trade unions act strategically? Richard Hyman. En Transfer: European Review of
Labour and Research , Año 2007. Volumen 13, Núm.2 

“Summary
It is generally agreed that trade unions require new strategies to respond to external and
internal challenges. Economic internationalisation makes it easier for employers to escape
national structures of employment regulation, and appears to weaken the ability of
governments to defend nationally-based social models; sectoral and occupational shifts in
employment erode traditional union strongholds, while social and ideological changes
undermine workers’ traditional orientation to collectivism. Yet what do we mean by trade
union strategy, and how can it be modernised? This article addresses in particular the
literatures on organisational learning, social capital and vocabularies of motive to explore how
the twin principles of leadership and democracy can be harnessed to meet the challenges of
the ‘new’ capitalism” . Enlace al artículo completo (en inglés)