This past week, the eating disorder community learned effective June 1, 2023, NEDA was transitioning its helpline program from 4 full time employees to an “artificial intelligence” chatbot designated Tessa. Tessa is expected to become the main support system available through NEDA.

First, Tessa is NOT an artificial intelligence chatbot capable of independent learning and evolution. It is not ChatGPT or Bard. Instead, Tessa is a “rule-based chatbot authoring program.” This type of program is more affordable to develop and can be used without extensive programming experience This approach also represents a reasonable first-line approach to the initial development of a chatbot for a specific purpose.

Having said that, there are obvious deficiencies and drawbacks to programs like Tessa.  Some of the arguments include that that type of program strips away the personal aspect of the support hotline. Another common complaint is a general limitation in understanding and responding appropriately to unanticipated user responses.

The development of mental health prevention chatbots is in its infancy. In the past, NEDA wisely invested money into research of chatbots. In January of 2022, an article entitled, “The Challenges in Designing a Prevention Chatbot for Eating Disorders: Observational Study” was published. That article can be found here:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8811687/

Since the chatbot is still being refined and polished, perhaps we should ask, why now? And this is where mid-20^th century thinking comes into play.

Labor unions have a long history in the United States as membership reached a peak in the 1940s and 1950s. They were created to protect employee rights and stop exploitation. Unions’ goals are generally enforced through calling a strike (as we see in Hollywood today) and/or collective bargaining.

And yet, for very small companies, and small non-profit organizations like NEDA, unions have the potential to cause catastrophic harm. Nonetheless, in some unknown way, the idea of unionizing came to 4 employees of NEDA.

According to one of the four employees working the helpline, they felt overwhelmed and understaffed. And so, the four decided to unionize. [I wonder where that idea originated?]  

That employee also wrote, “When NEDA refused [to recognize our union], we filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board and won on March 17.”  And so, they officially became part of Communications Workers (CWA) Local 1101. [The answer to the previous question was just provided.]

Union employees, FOUR union employees… in a very small, non-profit, charitable entity. Four employees with presumably little, if any, legal education and/or experience organizing formal entities like unions.

And so, it would appear as if these four “union” employees want to dictate employment terms to a very small charitable organization. Or do they?

One of the four employees wrote: “Some of us have personally recovered from eating disorders and bring that invaluable experience to our work. All of us came to this job because of our passion for eating disorders and mental health advocacy and our desire to make a difference.” 

Those words don’t sound like they come from a union hack.

The timeline according to these 4 employees was: “After NEDA refused to make meaningful changes, [read, giving in to our union overlords’ demands] we collected a super-majority of signed authorization cards [3 of the 4 employees? How did they even know what constitutes a super-majority under the complex federal and state labor laws] and asked for voluntary recognition of our union around Thanksgiving.”

“When NEDA refused, we filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board and won on March 17. [Again, how did these 4 employees know this was required?] Then, four days after our election results were certified, all four of us were told we were being let go and replaced by a chatbot.”

They also stated: “Helpline Associates United has filed unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board over NEDA management’s refusal to engage in good faith bargaining and their retaliation against workers looking to form a union. [I can’t help but wonder who drafted that language? Language which utilizes legalese.] We plan to keep fighting. While we can think of many instances where technology could benefit us in our work on the Helpline, we’re not going to let our bosses use a chatbot to get rid of our union and our jobs.” [Notice that her statement emphasized “union” before our jobs.]

The NEDA Helpline Associates Union a/k/a those 4 employees, posted this on Twitter:

Those 4 employees end their Twitter post quoting Angela Davis. The Angela Davis who is a well-known eating disorder expert and advocate? Uh… no. It is the Angela Davis who identifies as a “Marxist,” a former leader of the Communist Party USA, a proponent of completely abolishing the prison system. This is the person those 4 employees chose to quote if not emulate. [Did those 4 employees even know who Angela Davis is?]

So, [and I am about to relish the gross and obvious hypocrisy of what I am about to type] … how much money will NEDA need to direct toward the labor complaint filed by these “4 Angela Davis quoting employees,” who instead of finding a collaborative, intelligent path to proceed in the future, chose to embrace a myopic, “dinosaur of the past” unionization believing that is in the best interests of those who suffer from eating disorders?

But then, those 4 employees are not really driving this train are they? In their Twitter post they state … “an unfair labor practice charge has been submitted on our behalf.” That statement clarifies the situation to a great degree.

Starting a union within an organization is a painstaking, difficult process. Submitting that union to a national worker’s union requires meticulous work. Complying with and understanding all aspects of the National Labor Relations Act requires the input of knowledgeable, experienced attorneys.

So, who exactly is giving those 4 misguided, perhaps naïve employees advice? And whose best interest is being pursued by their puppet masters?

Despite what those 4 employees may say, Tessa is a not a union-busting tool. [Again, I wonder from where that language came?] As technology continues to develop, Tessa and other chatbots and artificial intelligence programs represent the future.  

NEDA’s hand was forced not by these 4 employees, per se. But, by the Communications Workers of America Union.

As artificial intelligence and chatbots continue to evolve, improve and grow, this progress will inevitably threaten many jobs currently held by union members. The writer’s strike in Hollywood understands this reality. AI is one of the major issues preventing resolution of that strike.

And perhaps that is the real story.

If the Communications Workers of America Union is successful in obtaining a favorable ruling from the National Labor Relations Board holding that chatbots and artificial intelligence programs cannot be utilized to replace union workers (as is inevitable), the union will inevitably use that ruling as precedence for future, much larger disputes where many thousands of union jobs hang in the balance.

This dispute is not about those 4 naïve employees who are being used as mere pawns by the Communication Workers of America. This dispute is not about NEDA.

This dispute is about the future.

A future in which unions will lose power, prestige, political influence and of course, money.

A future which is inevitable.