California Federation of Labor Unions President Responds to Governor’s Remarks on AI and Workers

Release Date: May 20, 2026

Media Contact: Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected]

California Federation of Labor Unions President Responds to Governor's Remarks on AI and Workers

Remarks come as California Labor is championing the strongest AI guardrails in the nation

Sacramento, CA - (Wednesday, May 20, 2026) - California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO President Lorena Gonzalez released the following statement in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom's remarks on artificial intelligence at a recent conference held by the Center for American Progress.

"The Governor got one thing right, the pitchforks are out. But, instead of accepting catastrophic AI job loss as inevitable, we must first regulate AI in the workplace and harness technology as a tool for workers, not as a way to replace them," said Lorena Gonzalez, President of California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO. "We hope the Governor will have real discussions with California's workers - and the unions that represent them."

The California Federation of Labor Unions is championing a package of bills that, if signed into law by the Governor, would be the strongest AI guardrails in the nation.

For more information, or to set up an interview with Lorena Gonzalez to discuss Gov. Newsom's recent remarks or the California Labor Movement's priorities on AI and the future of work, please contact Shubhangi Domokos, [email protected].

The California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO represents over 1,300 affiliated unions in California with over 2.3 million union members in trucking, retail, hospitality, janitorial, construction, health care, local and state government, education, arts and entertainment, warehousing and logistics, manufacturing, and a variety of other sectors.

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