AFL-CIO and NSF Forge Historic Partnership

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First-of-Its-Kind Partnership Will Serve as Model for Bringing Workers into STEM Research and Innovation

(Washington, D.C., Sept. 24, 2024)—Aiming to include worker perspectives in STEM research and innovation, the AFL-CIO and its Technology Institute announced a groundbreaking partnership with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Over five years, this collaboration will create programs where researchers, STEM workforce, and unions ensure future innovations support America’s workforce.

“Technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the future of work, and the labor movement is diving in to give workers a seat at the table,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler. “This partnership with NSF will ensure science and technology innovations incorporate workers' needs, create union jobs, and provide training and mobility opportunities.”

“We look forward to collaborating with the AFL-CIO on investments in learning and training, including upskilling, reskilling, and transitioning across sectors like AI, machine learning, and biotechnology,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan. “This partnership will strengthen America’s STEM workforce and foster economic opportunity nationwide.”

Authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, NSF aims to build a domestic workforce adept in advancing key technologies. This partnership serves as a model for incorporating workers in federally funded research, ensuring innovations represent working people's needs.

“Workers are experts on their jobs, and their knowledge is crucial to developing future technologies,” said Amanda Ballantyne, Executive Director of the AFL-CIO Technology Institute. “We appreciate NSF's commitment to leveraging workers' expertise in science and technology research.”

Contact: Prerna Jagadeesh, 202-637-5018

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