An Atlas humanoid robot stands on the stage during a press conference of Hyundai Motor Group and Boston Dynamics ahead of the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Jan. 5.
AP-Yonhap Hyundai Motor’s labor union is poised to use a potential strike as leverage to secure job protections against the carmaker’s planned deployment of Atlas humanoid robots in its manufacturing operations.
More than 86 percent of the carmaker’s roughly 40,000 union members voted in favor of the walkout, Wednesday, setting the stage for a contentious showdown over wages, job security and the upcoming robot deployment.
The union also gained the legal right to go ahead with the strike, Thursday, after a state labor mediation committee decided to suspend its arbitration process between the two sides.
While the carmaker’s annual wage negotiation has typically revolved around compensation, this year’s talks have hit a roadblock over a new core agenda on manufacturing automation amid the rise of physical artificial intelligence (AI).
