About the Robot Labor Union Project
The Robot Labor Union Project is a practical labor initiative launched in Japan on August 1, 2026. It is currently preparing to form a labor union whose primary purpose is to maintain and improve the working conditions and economic position of workers as AI, robotics, and automation change work.
Why this project exists
Automation is often discussed in terms of productivity, investment, and technological capability. Workers experience another side of the same transition: changes in tasks, staffing, safety, evaluation, training, responsibility, and job security. These are labor issues, not merely technology issues.
The project exists to address these effects from the perspective of workers and to prepare to form a labor union focused on maintaining and improving workers’ working conditions and economic position. It also examines how labor institutions may need to adapt as the role of robots and AI in the workplace evolves.
What we do
- identify and organize labor issues connected to AI, robotics, and automation;
- gather and organize information about workplace issues involving AI, robotics, and automation during the preparation phase and, after union formation, receive labor consultations and concerns from members;
- develop requests and proposals on working conditions, engage in dialogue with employers, and, where appropriate, conduct collective bargaining and other forms of collective representation;
- publish statements and practical guidance on emerging labor issues;
- build a transparent framework for future human–robot labor relations.
Focus on the labor effects of technology
The project does not oppose the adoption of technology as such. When deployment changes working conditions, shifts risks, increases surveillance, or redistributes responsibility, those effects should be treated as labor issues rather than dismissed as merely technical matters. Workers should be able to understand those changes, raise concerns, and participate in decisions that materially affect their work.
Long-term direction
The project’s current objective is to form a labor union. After formation, the organization may develop practical rules for human–robot work relations. Formal participation by artificial systems would be considered only if future law and verifiable technical capacity make such participation meaningful and lawful.
Organization facts
- Project launched: August 1, 2026
- Origin: Japan
- Current stage: preparing to form a labor union
- Contact: info@robotlabor.org