The unions teamed up to testify in the General Law Committee’s public hearing today, March 4th, in support of a bill that could ban electronic shelf labels and surveillance pricing. Under current law, retailers are allowed to employ electronic shelf tags and combine that with AI algorithms to make shoppers pay different prices for the same item. Seems too sci fi to be true? It’s not. Retailers can gather information on individual shoppers based on their shopping habits, internet search history, income and other factors and make a determination about how much they are willing to pay. They then can determine when that shopper is in their store using facial recognition software or cell phone location trackers. The electronic shelf labels allow them to change the price tag in real time, making it possible for two shoppers in the store at the same time to pay different prices for the same item. Electronic shelf labels eliminate good jobs and are bad for consumers, and the UFCW is fighting to stop this technology from happening throughout the country.
Local 371 member Roberta Green testified, along with Secretary Treasurer Keri Hoehne, Jake Serafini, Jose Anaya, and representatives and members from Local 919.