Human resources and workforce management technologies

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As core personnel functions such as hiring, evaluation, timekeeping, and scheduling become increasingly digital, unions have responded by negotiating how automated systems are incorporated into these processes. Rather than treating such technologies as neutral tools, many agreements establish contractual safeguards to ensure that these systems operate fairly, remain accountable to workers and their representatives, and do not override negotiated procedures or erode worker rights. These provisions address both the technical systems themselves and the processes through which they are implemented, used, and reviewed.

In some cases, unions have secured access to system outputs, using the digital trails these technologies generate to monitor management decisions and audit compliance. A few agreements go further, shaping the systems directly by negotiating for specific design features or configurations that serve workers’ needs. The subsections below highlight how unions have engaged with different categories of workforce management technology:

• 4.2.a Hiring, promotion, and evaluation technologies: Provisions governing the implementation of digital systems for applicant selection and performance review, including bargaining triggers, evaluation criteria, and union oversight of automated decision-making tools.
• 4.2.b Payroll and timekeeping systems: Clauses related to the introduction, use, and limitations of payroll and attendance tracking systems, with attention to worker protections, access, and accountability.
• 4.2.c Workforce scheduling systems: Provisions regulating scheduling technologies, including rules for configuration, transparency, fairness, and opportunities for employee and union input.

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