Portland Water District Workers Call for Guardrails on AI to Protect Public Health & Safety

Members of Teamsters Local 340 who work for the Portland Water District are calling for more regulation on the use of A.I. and automation to protect public health and safety. For more than 18 months, Portland Water District workers have been negotiating a new labor contract while continuing to operate and maintain the water system that provides safe, clean drinking water to communities across the region. Union members have proposed contract language to ensure that technological changes do not replace or shift critical system oversight away from trained local operators.

“We understand that customers may not be concerned about the details of a labor contract or what employees are paid,” union members said in a statement. “But customers should absolutely care about how their water treatment system will be operated in the future.”

Workers say there have been rumors and discussions suggesting that increased automation, remote system control, or outsourcing could be explored in the next two years. Union members believe that such changes—if implemented without proper safeguards—could reduce direct human oversight of a system that is essential to public health and safety. Union workers emphasize that they are not opposed to modernization or technological upgrades, but they believe technology should support skilled operators rather than replace them.

“Water treatment and distribution is a complex infrastructure that requires trained professionals who know the system, the facilities, and the communities they serve,” union members continued. “Automation cannot replace the judgment, experience, and real-time decision-making of trained operators who are physically present and responsible for keeping the water safe.”

Workers are urging the Portland Water District Board of Trustees and management to hold an open and productive discussion with members regarding ongoing union contract negotiations in an attempt to get this overdue contract finalized.