Giving Workers More Power to Bargain Over AI
November 13, 2026
As one AI company prepares to go public, policy can help workers fight for more power
AI giant Anthropic is soon expected to begin selling shares in a historically huge IPO, though one that may fall short of initial expectations. Still, the long-awaited move raises questions about corporate governance, regulation, and more.
Roosevelt asked four policy experts—Andrea Dehlendorf, Molly Kinder, Brian McGrail, and Asad Ramzanali—to provide their insights on what this means for an industry that holds immense power and a massive share of the economy, and whether the workers who make up the broader economy could possibly benefit.
It’s increasingly clear that workers need a large-scale response to counterbalance the multitrillion-dollar AI industry’s continued shake-up of the economy. In a new brief, Roosevelt’s Patrick Oakford lays out two labor reforms that, in the short term, would pave the way for worker-led action across industries.
- First, Congress should lift NLRA preemption for multiemployer bargaining over AI and related technologies. This would let states and localities implement sectoral bargaining models so that private-sector workers could negotiate together with businesses in their industry.
- Second, states and localities should create industry standard boards for AI, providing baseline employment protections for workers in the sectors most affected.
“While it’s important to secure broader labor law reform, including passing and building on the PRO Act, the speed with which AI is being developed and deployed means that workers need policy solutions now,” Oakford writes.
“Absent the ability to pass full federal labor law reform, proponents of labor reform should consider more tailored, yet still bold, strategies that would increase workers’ bargaining power over AI.”
JOIN US: Turning campaign promises into policy
Up and down the ballot, candidates who focused relentlessly on affordability, fighting against corruption and oligarchy, and helping people live a good life won resounding victories. Americans have sent their policymakers a clear message: The economy needs to work better for them.
Join the Roosevelt Institute on Thursday, November 19, at 3:00 pm ET for a post-election debrief with Roosevelt President and CEO Elizabeth Wilkins as well as leaders from our partner organizations, including:
- Kathryn Anne Edwards, Economist
- Tara McGuinness, Executive Director, The New Practice Lab at New America
- Julie Margetta Morgan, President, The Century Foundation
What else we’re up to
- Digital infrastructure reforms can deliver better public service—here’s how. In a new report, product strategist Ivana Ng explains how the next administration could streamline eligibility verification, expand automatic enrollment, and reduce unnecessary paperwork, making accessing benefits and government services easier for everyone—all without waiting for new legislation.