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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Department of Computer Science, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone: 415 497-4430␈↓ 
&June 5, 1984 

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Electronic mail: JMC␈↓@␈↓∧SU-AI␈↓
.␈↓∧ARPA




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Lane Kirkland, President
␈↓ ↓H␈↓AFL-CIO
␈↓ ↓H␈↓815 16th St. NW
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Washington, D.C. 20006

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Kirkland:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αwas␈α
impressed␈αwith␈αthe␈α
clarity␈αwith␈αwhich␈α
the␈αunion␈αpeople␈α
at␈αthe␈αArden␈α
House␈αScience
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈αLabor␈αConference␈αsaw␈αtheir␈αproblems.␈α I␈αwas␈αless␈αimpressed␈αwith␈αmy␈αfellow␈αacademics,␈αbut␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓think this is partly because we haven't been thinking about the problems.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Interaction␈α⊃of␈α∩union␈α⊃people␈α∩with␈α⊃science␈α∩can␈α⊃be␈α⊃useful␈α∩in␈α⊃studying␈α∩the␈α⊃impact␈α∩of␈α⊃new
␈↓ ↓H␈↓technology␈α
on␈α
working␈α
conditions␈α
and␈α
making␈α
good␈α
working␈α
conditions␈α
a␈α
major␈α
design␈α
goal␈α
in␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓development of new technology.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈α∞confess␈α
to␈α∞having␈α
been␈α∞quite␈α
unprepared,␈α∞and␈α
my␈α∞presentation␈α
left␈α∞out␈α
two␈α∞questions␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓which␈α∩I␈α∩had␈α⊃already␈α∩given␈α∩considerable␈α∩thought,␈α⊃but␈α∩which␈α∩I␈α⊃didn't␈α∩remember␈α∩when␈α∩I␈α⊃was
␈↓ ↓H␈↓preparing.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈αIn␈αdesigning␈αcomputer␈αprograms␈αto␈αbe␈αused␈αby␈αother␈αpeople,␈αcomputer␈αprogrammers␈αtend
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈α∂take␈α∂a␈α∂god-like␈α∂attitude.␈α∂ They␈α∂try␈α⊂to␈α∂anticipate␈α∂all␈α∂contingencies␈α∂and␈α∂give␈α∂the␈α∂user␈α⊂as␈α∂little
␈↓ ↓H␈↓control␈αof␈αthe␈αprocess␈αas␈αpossible.␈α They␈αregard␈αthe␈αuser␈αas␈αan␈αidiot␈αwho␈αmust␈αbe␈αprevented␈αfrom
␈↓ ↓H␈↓making␈α∞mistakes.␈α∞ While␈α∞attitudes␈α∞of␈α∞computer␈α∂people␈α∞to␈α∞clerical␈α∞workers␈α∞contribute␈α∞to␈α∂this,␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓tendency␈α∞exists␈α∞even␈α∞when␈α∂the␈α∞programs␈α∞are␈α∞to␈α∞be␈α∂used␈α∞by␈α∞computer␈α∞experts.␈α∞ In␈α∂the␈α∞academic
␈↓ ↓H␈↓environment␈α
we␈α∞are␈α
usually␈α
in␈α∞a␈α
position␈α∞to␈α
refuse␈α
to␈α∞use␈α
"fascist"␈α
computer␈α∞programs,␈α
but␈α∞in␈α
a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓business environment there may often be less choice.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        In␈α
any␈α
case,␈α∞the␈α
attitude␈α
needs␈α
to␈α∞be␈α
resisted␈α
both␈α
within␈α∞the␈α
computer␈α
profession␈α∞and␈α
by
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the people who will have to use the programs and their representatives.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        While␈αmanagement␈α
should␈αbe␈α
on␈αyour␈α
side␈αas␈α
with␈αsafety␈α
issues,␈αthe␈α
people␈αwho␈αare␈α
directly
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a≥ected␈α⊃are␈α⊃more␈α⊂likely␈α⊃to␈α⊃notice␈α⊃the␈α⊂problems.␈α⊃ The␈α⊃solution␈α⊂is␈α⊃often␈α⊃highly␈α⊃technical.␈α⊂ The
␈↓ ↓H␈↓speci≡c␈α∃complaints␈α∀are␈α∃more␈α∀likely␈α∃to␈α∃be␈α∀a␈α∃matter␈α∀for␈α∃local␈α∀grievances␈α∃than␈α∃for␈α∀collective
␈↓ ↓H␈↓bargaining,␈αalthough␈α
setting␈αup␈αa␈α
mechanism␈αfor␈α
formulating␈αand␈αsettling␈α
such␈αgrievances␈αmay␈α
be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓an appropriate bargaining point.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        While␈α∞there␈α∂is␈α∞widespread␈α∞awareness␈α∂in␈α∞computer␈α∞science␈α∂that␈α∞the␈α∞problem␈α∂exists,␈α∞no-one
␈↓ ↓H␈↓has␈αyet␈α
formulated␈αwhat␈αconstitutes␈α
unnecessary␈αrigidity␈αin␈α
computer␈αprograms␈αthat␈α
interact␈αwith
␈↓ ↓H␈↓people.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓αMr. Lane Kirkland␈↓ ¬wJune 5, 1984␈↓ 
nPage 2␈↓ 


␈↓ ↓H␈↓        If␈α
someone␈α
in␈α
your␈α
o≠ce␈αor␈α
one␈α
of␈α
the␈α
unions␈αspecializes␈α
in␈α
issues␈α
concerning␈α
people␈αwho
␈↓ ↓H␈↓work␈α
with␈α
computer␈α
terminals,␈α
I␈α∞would␈α
be␈α
glad␈α
to␈α
talk␈α∞with␈α
him␈α
further.␈α
 Also␈α
if␈α∞any␈α
computer
␈↓ ↓H␈↓science originated conference on these issues occurs, I think there should be union participation.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈α∞Many␈α∞dangerous␈α∞jobs␈α∂should␈α∞be␈α∞done␈α∞by␈α∞remote␈α∂control,␈α∞but␈α∞this␈α∞technology␈α∂has␈α∞been
␈↓ ↓H␈↓developed␈αvery␈αlittle.␈α In␈αparticular,␈αminers␈αshould␈αcontrol␈αalmost␈αall␈αtheir␈αmachinery␈αwith␈αthe␈αaid
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of␈αtelevision␈αfrom␈αoutside␈αthe␈αmine.␈α This␈αcan␈αsave␈αlives,␈αmake␈αthe␈αwork␈αeasier,␈αand␈αavoid␈αmuch
␈↓ ↓H␈↓underground travel time.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Remote␈α⊂mining␈α∂also␈α⊂has␈α∂the␈α⊂advantage,␈α⊂from␈α∂the␈α⊂union␈α∂point␈α⊂of␈α∂view,␈α⊂over␈α⊂some␈α∂other
␈↓ ↓H␈↓technological␈α∪advances,␈α∪that␈α∀present␈α∪miners␈α∪are␈α∪the␈α∀most␈α∪appropriate␈α∪people␈α∪to␈α∀operate␈α∪the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓remotely␈α∩controlled␈α∪machinery,␈α∩since␈α∪their␈α∩experience␈α∩is␈α∪precisely␈α∩what␈α∪is␈α∩relevant␈α∪to␈α∩remote
␈↓ ↓H␈↓controlled␈α∂mining.␈α∂ It␈α∞is␈α∂important␈α∂to␈α∂plan␈α∞for␈α∂employing␈α∂the␈α∞present␈α∂workers␈α∂in␈α∂future␈α∞remote
␈↓ ↓H␈↓operations.␈α∂                 Some␈α∞years␈α∂ago␈α∞our␈α∂laboratory␈α∞initiated␈α∂a␈α∞study␈α∂of␈α∞remote␈α∂mining,␈α∞but
␈↓ ↓H␈↓there␈α∞was␈α∞no␈α∞Government␈α∞interest.␈α∞ Later␈α∞they␈α∞were␈α∞interested,␈α∞but␈α∞the␈α∞man␈α∞who␈α∞had␈α∞done␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓preliminary␈αstudies␈αhad␈αleft␈α
us␈αand␈αgone␈αto␈αwork␈α
for␈αa␈αcomputer␈αcompany.␈α
 I␈αbelieve␈αhe␈αis␈αnow␈α
in
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α⊂Washington␈α⊂area.␈α⊂ The␈α⊂Lawrence␈α⊂Livermore␈α⊂Laboratory␈α⊂now␈α⊂has␈α⊂some␈α⊂interest␈α⊂in␈α∂remote
␈↓ ↓H␈↓mining.␈α
 Interaction␈αwith␈α
organized␈α
labor␈αat␈α
an␈α
early␈αstage␈α
of␈α
developing␈αthis␈α
technology␈αwould␈α
be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓very desirable.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αwould␈αbe␈αglad␈αto␈αdiscuss␈αeither␈αof␈αthese␈αmatters␈αwith␈αany␈αappropriate␈αpeople.␈α However,␈αI
␈↓ ↓H␈↓am␈αprobably␈αnot␈αin␈αa␈αposition␈αto␈αundertake␈αany␈αsubstantial␈αresearch␈αactivity.␈α They␈αare␈αpresented
␈↓ ↓H␈↓as␈αexamples␈αof␈αproblem␈αon␈αwhich␈αscientists␈αand␈αunion␈αrepresentatives␈αcan␈αpro≡tably␈αinteract␈αwith
␈↓ ↓H␈↓bene≡t to the public.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science

␈↓ ↓H␈↓cc: David Chudnovsky, Tom Donahue