Google reportedly let go of more than 200 contractors who were training a new AI system called Gemini. Workers say they faced poor conditions and low wages, driving unionization efforts that they claim led to retaliatory dismissals. The case casts a spotlight on the human cost of AI innovation and the questions it raises about fairness in the tech industry.

University of Minnesota workers are on strike, hoping students will notice the essential tasks they perform each day. Once empowered by pandemic conditions, they fear that leverage is slipping away as large employers reassert control.

Northwestern University’s postdoctoral researchers have voted to unionize, indicating a notable development on campus. Announced in an afternoon briefing by the Chicago Tribune, the decision underscores shifting labor dynamics in higher education.