The Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing paralegals, clerks and support staff, has accused the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office of using artificial intelligence to undercut its members’ overtime pay, violating the terms of their labor contract.
The union filed a claim with the state Public Employment Relations Board on Sept. 26.
“AI is becoming a global thing, obviously. And as far as labor is concerned, it could be a useful tool,” said CSEA Local 830 President Kris Kalender. “But it should be negotiated, and it definitely can’t be replacing anybody that’s actually doing the work now, so we filed a Public Employee Relations Board charge, and we go to them, and we basically ask them to demand that the county stops doing that and negotiates it with us, or talks to us about it.”
The union claims that AI was used to perform clerical work once done by union employees, including compiling information provided by police. This type of work often creates overtime.
Kalender said the union’s contract includes a subcontracting clause that states union workers’ work should be done by its people–not subcontractors. While there is nothing specific mentioned about AI, Kalender said it was written before AI was a consideration around 2021. Kalender said the union found proof the DA’s office used artificial intelligence.
“We found the contracts that the county has with the company, and it says straight up in the narrative it’s a bot to do the work that we do,” Kalender said.
The AI program reportedly used was developed by SVAM, a Great Neck-based technology company that provides AI and Robotic Process Automation services. A representative of the company could not be reached by the time of publication.
CSEA Nassau Local 830 held a “Rally Against the Bot” event in Mineola on Oct. 14, with the goal of defending their jobs and protecting their work from AI, according to a digital flyer.
“We’re calling on every member to join us on your lunch break and stand united against efforts to outsource the work we perform,” the union said in a Facebook post. “Whether it’s through automation or subcontracting, the message is the same: Protect our work, protect our future.”
The rally took place outside the union’s office, which Kalender said is “basically diagonal” from the district attorney’s office. Prior to the rally, Kalender also said he wanted to inspire District Attorney Anne Donnelly to talk to the union.
“So we’ll be out and about just bringing awareness to it and hoping that maybe, just maybe, she has a conversation with us,” he said. “I doubt it.”
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly‘s office referred the Long Island Press to the County Attorney’s Office, which could not be reached for comment prior to publication.
Public Employment Relations Board could not be reached prior to publication.
