Article by Asmita Bhutani, Rawan Abdelbaki, and Sana Paracha
Staffless libraries, driverless TTC subway trains, and self-check-in kiosks at hospital doors are a few of the automation technologies introduced in Toronto over the recent years and were the focus of a discussion panel of labour organizers on workplace AI and automation, held at GLRC in March 2026.
Panelists included labour organizers from a range of sectors: Aleem Tharani, executive board member at large maintenance ATU local 113, Sarah Correia, Director, labour relations at SEIU Healthcare, Brandon Haynes, President, Toronto Library Workers CUPE 4948, Houston Gonsalves, organizer in Gig Workers’ United and Sharon Simpson, Special Projects Coordinator, Labour Community Services.
Workplace automation experiments underway raise several questions about what is changing in workplaces and worker relations and its connection with the present and future of wider public needs. What do worker voices from the frontlines tell us about how and why AI and automation are being rolled out at work? In an era of financial austerity, how do we make sense of public money being pooled in privatized AI corporations? Exploring these questions and possible answers, this snapshot includes insights from the panel as well as an ongoing research study examining workers’ perceptions and experiences with automation in public services in Ontario. Conducted between June 2025 and January 2026, the first phase of this study included in-depth interviews with 27 participants, including rank-and-file workers and labour organizers across healthcare, transit, libraries, public administration and education settings.