ARE BEING PULLED OUT OF THAT STATE? TOP OF SEVEN A LIVE LOOK FROM THE STATE CAPITOL. STATE AND NATIONAL LABOR LEADERS WERE IN SACRAMENTO TODAY, PUSHING FOR PROTECTIONS AGAINST ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. THEY WANT GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM TO DO MORE TO MAKE SURE AI DOES NOT COST PEOPLE THEIR JOBS. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE AT SEVEN. I’M KURTIS MING AND I’M EDIE LAMBERT KCRA 3, POLITICAL DIRECTOR. ASHLEY ZAVALA SHARES THEIR MESSAGE. LABOR LEADERS ARE TRYING TO SEND A MESSAGE TO GAVIN NEWSOM, NOT JUST AS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR, BUT AS LIKELY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. LORENA GONZALEZ, THE LEADER OF THE CALIFORNIA LABOR FEDERATION, HOSTED A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH OTHER LABOR LEADERS FROM KEY PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY STATES LIKE IOWA, NORTH CAROLINA, NEVADA AND GEORGIA ALL URGING NEWSOM TO DO MORE TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM BEING REPLACED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. GONZALEZ MADE IT CLEAR SHE FEELS LIKE THE GOVERNOR IS DOING MORE TO PROTECT THE TECH INDUSTRY THAN WORKERS. RIGHT NOW, OTHER LEADERS FROM OTHER STATES SUGGESTED THE NATION’S LEADER NEEDS TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE PROBLEM. I AM VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE CALCULUS OF THE GOVERNOR THAT HE MAY BE MORE INTERESTED IN HIS BIG TECH BILLIONAIRE FRIENDS THAN HE IS WITH WORKING PEOPLE. YES, AND I’M MORE FRUSTRATED, TO BE HONEST, THAT IT’S LIKE, SIT DOWN AND ENGAGE. AND WE KNOW THIS IN CALIFORNIA, RIGHT? WE ALWAYS SAY THIS ON BIG ISSUES. SIT DOWN AND LET’S HAVE A DISCUSSION. I WELCOME GOVERNOR NEWSOM, COME ON DOWN TO NORTH CAROLINA, GET YOU SOME BARBECUE AND SOME SWEET TEA. COME, COME EXPERIENCE THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TO THE BEACHES OF THE OUTER BANKS. BUT REST ASSURED THAT IF YOU COME TO NORTH CAROLINA, YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MEET AND RECKON WITH WORKERS. OFFICIALS WITH THE CALIFORNIA LABOR FEDERATION SAY LATER THIS MONTH THEY WILL RELEASE A SET OF PROPOSALS. THEY WANT STATE LAWMAKERS AND THE GOVERNOR TO PASS THIS YEAR TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM AI. REPORTING AT THE STATE CAPITOL ASHLEY ZAVALA KCRA THREE NEWS. IN A STATEMENT, A SPOKESPERSON FOR GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID, QUOTE, NO GOVERNOR HAS DONE MORE THAN GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM TO REGULATE AI IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS WORKERS WITHOUT KILLING JOBS OR INNOVATION. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, CALIFORNIA HAS TAKEN THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, WORKER CENTERED APPROACH TO AI IN THE COUNTRY. THEY CONTINUED, WHILE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS ABANDONED WORKING PEOPLE, GOVERNOR NEWSOM DELIVERS, RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE FOR MILLION
Labor leaders threaten their support for possible Presidential candidate Newsom over AI
Labor leaders from across the country rallied in Sacramento to send a warning to Gavin Newsom, not just as California’s Governor, but as a likely 2028 presidential candidate. “I welcome Governor Newsom, come on down to North Carolina, get you some barbecue and some sweet tea,” said Braxton Winston, the AFL-CIO President. “But rest assured if you come to North Carolina, you’re going to have to meet and reckon with workers.” The leader of California’s Labor Federation, Lorena Gonzalez, hosted Braxton along with other labor leaders from other key Presidential primary state such as Iowa, Georgia and Nevada to urge Newsom to protect workers from artificial intelligence. The news conference comes amid growing concerns that workers could be wiped out with automation. Gonzalez acknowledged the state has provided some industries with protections for specific workers, such as Amazon delivery drivers and actors. But, she noted, tech is getting more engaged politically with money and power and they have influenced Gov. Gavin Newsom. “I am frustrated the calculus of the governor that he may be more interested in his big tech billionaire friends than he is with working people,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not right or left, it’s not Republican or Democrat, it’s about people and wealth.” “No Governor has done more than Governor Gavin Newsom to regulate AI in a way that protects workers without killing jobs or innovation,” said Tara Gallegos, a spokeswoman for Gov. Newsom. “Under his leadership, California has taken the most comprehensive, worker-centered approach to AI in the country. While the Trump administration has abandoned working people, Governor Newsom delivers — raising the minimum wage for millions and expanding sick leave, paid family leave, and life-saving worker protections.”California Labor Federation officials said later this month they will release the slate of bills with specific worker protections they want lawmakers and the governor to approve this year. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Labor leaders from across the country rallied in Sacramento to send a warning to Gavin Newsom, not just as California’s Governor, but as a likely 2028 presidential candidate.
“I welcome Governor Newsom, come on down to North Carolina, get you some barbecue and some sweet tea,” said Braxton Winston, the AFL-CIO President. “But rest assured if you come to North Carolina, you’re going to have to meet and reckon with workers.”
The leader of California’s Labor Federation, Lorena Gonzalez, hosted Braxton along with other labor leaders from other key Presidential primary state such as Iowa, Georgia and Nevada to urge Newsom to protect workers from artificial intelligence.
The news conference comes amid growing concerns that workers could be wiped out with automation. Gonzalez acknowledged the state has provided some industries with protections for specific workers, such as Amazon delivery drivers and actors. But, she noted, tech is getting more engaged politically with money and power and they have influenced Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I am frustrated the calculus of the governor that he may be more interested in his big tech billionaire friends than he is with working people,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not right or left, it’s not Republican or Democrat, it’s about people and wealth.”
“No Governor has done more than Governor Gavin Newsom to regulate AI in a way that protects workers without killing jobs or innovation,” said Tara Gallegos, a spokeswoman for Gov. Newsom. “Under his leadership, California has taken the most comprehensive, worker-centered approach to AI in the country. While the Trump administration has abandoned working people, Governor Newsom delivers — raising the minimum wage for millions and expanding sick leave, paid family leave, and life-saving worker protections.”
California Labor Federation officials said later this month they will release the slate of bills with specific worker protections they want lawmakers and the governor to approve this year.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel