even with unionization I am feeling this will not stop things, as it did not for all the unionized workers on the letterpress side of things displaced by DTP programs way back when.

If there is a legal way to lower employment costs (via outsourcing, AI usage, ...) eventually it will happen, as the market will reward companies that will take the option. I know this is not the current meta, but without regulation, things will keep moving in the same direction; unionizing might help in the short term for better buyouts etc. (of course) but if a transformative technology comes out that significantly changes the amount of labor you need to achieve the same result (and it does feel AI is one of those), eventually that technology will permeate the market.