Automation Riots

The automation riots were a series of conflicts in response to lost jobs throughout the pre-War United States.

Background
During the Resource Wars, the development of advanced robotic systems facilitated a massive wave of unemployment, with labor-intensive jobs such as mining and factory work at the forefront. A mass automation of jobs took place in the city of Watoga, where the majority of jobs from hard labor to civil service was completely robot automated. Maram Ayari describes the "city of the future" as a fully autonomous utopia.

As early as 2061, the region was rife with homelessness, with workers in the region struggling to make ends meet or provide for their families. The shift away from traditional labor was accelerated by robot production, such as those created by RobCo. These advanced robotic lines were designed to replace human workers in jobs deemed too dangerous. The former workforce of Appalachia saw these robots as the reason for their misery, having replaced miners, construction workers, policemen and soldiers. In addition to robots built to replace humans, other variants were built to serve as a deterrent for striking, named the Strikebreaker Protectrons.

The wave of automation culminated with Ballot Measure 6, slated for a vote in November 2077, the contents of which called for a stand-off between local workers and the conglomerates such as Hornwright Industrial and Atomic Mining Services. The measure would issue a $2.6 billion bond to begin the process of replacing all human workers in the Appalachian government with automated systems, with the goal of complete automation by 2087. Among the opponents of the measure was Senator Sam Blackwell, advocating against what he described as a "slow-moving disaster" that would be devastating to constituents in the region.

Welch
The unrest peaked when AMS forced families out of the town of Welch in early October 2077. The initial resistance was against the AMS' corporate agents sent to evict the families of Welch, which had the element of surprise on the side of the workers and citizens allowing them to easily gain the upper hand. The disenfranchised workers of Appalachia organized themselves quickly, setting up roadblocks and shutting down roads and factories across the western reaches of West Virginia, coordinating their efforts out of Striker Row, a staging area in the remote areas of the southern Ash Heap.

Despite initial successes, the miners were not equipped for dealing with the National Guard and corporate enforcers, especially when the Hornwright-funded fleet of Strikebreaker robots, customized by RobCo Industries, arrived in the Ash Heap, using lethal force to contain and eliminate the workers.

Mega Mansions
The Mega Mansions were home of the millionaires of Appalachia, a location of several riots, with some of the miners successfully bringing down an unfinished residence with mining explosives and attacking executives leaving for work from their fortified mansions.

Beckley
One of the historical centers of industry in Appalachia, Beckley was turned into a fortress by the protesters and acted as a base from which to launch raids on corporate facilities along the southern edge of Mount Blair. The National Guard attempted to force the barricades by ramming armored personnel carriers into them and dispersing HalluciGen's riot gas, leading to bitter street fighting. The workers were smart enough to board up buildings and establish their base on the rooftops of the town, including an infirmary.

Charleston
At Poseidon Energy Plant WV-06, a coal power plant originally built in the 1970s to provide power for the western parts of Appalachia, refitted with ultracite leased from AMS. The influence of these two companies and their close ties to the federal government resulted in intense controls and oversight. The switchover coincided with an increasingly hostile approach to workers at the plant, culminating in a walkout. The workers wanted a contract that gave them job security and were supported by the Associated Miner's Union. As per company policy, all workers who joined the picket outside the plant were fired on the spot.

As the plant was using ultracite, the plant security manager had no trouble convincing the executives that this was a national security issue. The National Guard arrived with heavy tanks, APCs, and a full load of HalluciGen, Inc. patented riot control gas. The plan was to gas the picketing strikers, making them turn on each other, turning a strike into a deadly riot that could then be leveraged to further weaken organized labor. What they did not realize was that the gas would turn the peaceful protesters into a violent mob. Once the gas took effect, they rushed through the smoke, attacking the soldiers and tearing off their gas masks, resulting in many fatalities.

Clarksburg
Located in the northern part of the region, Clarksburg has signs of unrest, including mannequins hanging from nooses, holding anti-automation picket signs.

Harpers Ferry
An event known as the Clay Riot took place in Harpers Ferry on a Thursday in the early 2070s, a precursor to the automation riots. It prompted a curfew for the town in response to incidents of violence. After the curfew was lifted, Antonio Childs was murdered in a robbery at the Harpers Ferry trainyard.

Mount Blair
On Mount Blair, miners seized the Rockhound, a major symbol of automation. For eight days, the miners held out, striking and demanding a right to work, until the National Guard sent in specially-designed fleets of combat robots - Strikebreakers, commissioned by Hornwright in the wake of the mine protests - to eliminate the rioters. Resembling to some, the events of the battle of Mount Blair over 150 years earlier, the Strikebreakers took out the miners and returned control of the Rockhound to Hornwright.

Pittsburgh
Seeking to increase profits, or at least to keep up with other companies, a supply plant in Pittsburgh began to purchase protectrons as labor and place them throughout the facility. Despite the reassurances of management the workers were fearing for their livelihoods. The manager of the plant, Tom McMullin tried to delay their eventual termination by complaining to management about problems with the equipment, declaring that because of this, they would not be ready for the next shipment. The employees began to vandalize the automatrons, two of whom were caught by management and fired. The rest of the group rioted shortly thereafter when their termination was announced via loudspeaker, their violence suppressed by protections.

Appearances
The automation riots are mentioned