cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19783775

Brothers and Sisters, we stand at the edge of a great and dangerous frontier, just as our forefathers did when they built the mighty labor unions that once protected working people from the crushing greed of the capitalist class. The power of unions has weakened in the last several decades, with membership shrinking and corporations systematically undermining the strength of collective bargaining.

The necessity of organized labor is about to become more critical than ever. The rise of automation and artificial intelligence, and the displacement of workers will reach levels that no one—least of all those in power—are prepared for.

Our jobs, our livelihoods, and the dignity of human labor are under siege, and unless we take a stand, we'll see a future where workers are rendered obsolete in the eyes of the capitalist elite. Look around, it's already starting to happen.

Automation and AI are being celebrated by the wealthy as the pinnacle of innovation, promising faster production, cheaper labor costs, and higher profits.

But let me tell you the truth. They're only promising one thing: more power and wealth for those already at the top, while workers are tossed aside like garbage. Just as the industrial revolution was used to exploit labor in the 19th and 20th centuries, AI and automation are the new tools of oppression in the hands of today’s corporate oligarchs.

Factories, warehouses, and even offices are being retooled not to employ people, but to replace them. Already, we're seeing retail workers, truck drivers, manufacturing employees, and even clerical staff losing their jobs as machines and algorithms take over their roles. This isn’t progress for humanity—it’s regression for workers.

Of course, not all AI and automation are bad. These technologies, like any other tool, have the potential to improve society, to reduce drudgery, and to provide workers with more time for leisure and intellectual growth.

But in the hands of capitalists, they serve only one purpose: to further marginalize the working class and concentrate wealth in the hands of a few.

Billionaires don’t see automation as a way to make life easier for everyone; they see it as a way to cut costs and increase their profit margins by reducing the need for human labor.

And what happens to us, the workers, when our labor is no longer needed? We’re thrown into the streets, replaced by machines, while the profits continue to flow upward.

The time has come for us to reclaim the narrative, to demand that these advances in technology benefit everyone, not just the wealthy few. The future of labor will not be about holding onto the jobs of the past, but about fighting for the rights of all people in an economy where machines do much of the work.

If we don’t act now, we will see a society where millions are unemployed, living in poverty, while the rich grow richer, profiting off the machines that replaced us. Our struggle is not just about better wages or fair working conditions anymore—it’s about ensuring that the benefits of technological progress are shared among all, not hoarded by the few.

Unions must rise again to meet this challenge head-on. We need a new era of labor organization, one that recognizes the unique threats posed by automation and AI.

Workers across all industries must come together to demand not just jobs, but a fair share of the wealth that these technologies create. We must push for laws that protect workers from being displaced without compensation, and for guarantees that retraining and new opportunities will be provided. We must ensure that no one is left behind in this technological revolution.

This fight is not just about maintaining employment; it’s about human dignity in a world that increasingly views workers as expendable.

The capitalist system is not prepared for the wave of displacement that’s coming.

They will do what they’ve always done: use their wealth and power to protect themselves, while the rest of us suffer the consequences.

We must take up the mantle of our ancestors, who fought and bled for the right to unionize, for the right to fair wages, and for the right to work with dignity. The fight for workers’ rights in the age of automation is the fight for the very soul of our society.

If we do nothing, we will be crushed by the gears of progress. But if we rise, if we stand together, we will build a future where technology serves the people, not the profiteers.