In today’s News and Commentary, Hyundai’s labor union warns against the introduction of humanoid robots, and Oregon and California trades unions take different paths to advocate for union jobs.

Today, the Hyundai Motor branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union warned Hyundai that deploying humanoid robots would require a labor management agreement. Earlier this month, Hyundai released its plan to manufacture humanoid robots, with the intention of first deploying them in 2028 at its Georgia plant. According to The Korea Times, the union warned that “under no circumstances will workers welcome the plan, as the robot deployment will bring a huge employment shock” that would reverberate from the replacement of workers. And Reuters reports that the union stated that without a labor management agreement, “not a single robot using new technology will be allowed to enter the workplace.” The union is also pushing back against Hyundai’s plans to expand in the US, which Hyundai previously announced as a way to mitigate the impact of tariffs.

On Wednesday, members of Oregon construction, electrical, and ironworkers unions launched Climate Jobs Oregon, a new coalition aimed at increasing jobs in clean energy projects. The coalition includes ten construction industry unions thus far. President of the Oregon AFL-CIO Graham Trainer stated that “to meet our climate goals, Oregon needs a massive increase in workers, and those workers must be trained to the highest caliber, and safety standards, where they have a meaningful voice on the job, where they have career pathways for advancement and they have wages, benefits and a retirement plan to support their families and get them into the economy long term.” In California, meanwhile, a corporation planning to build a new municipality signed a 40-year agreement with the Napa-Solano Building Trades Council and the Northern California Carpenters Union to create manufacturing jobs. Under the deal, a majority of construction projects must use union labor. The corporation claims that the agreement will bring renewable energy, infrastructure, and housing projects. According to Jay Bradshaw, executive secretary and treasurer of the NCCU, the agreement will create “thousands of high-quality, family sustaining union jobs for decades to come.”