Labor deals at U.S. automakers now include language on AI shop-floor tools

DETROIT — The last big Detroit contracts were about wages and the EV transition. The next local agreements are about cameras, copilots, and who owns the data that a wrench-turning job produces.

Union bargainers said they are not trying to ban tools that keep people out of harm. They are trying to stop a quiet rewrite of job content without a bargaining table.

Companies that treat this as IT procurement will get a grievance. Companies that treat it as industrial relations will get a pilot.