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␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u1


␈↓ α∧␈↓α␈↓ ∧DCOMPUTERS AND THE QUALITY OF JOBS

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTLike␈αevery␈αother␈αorganized␈αpart␈αof␈αsociety,␈αorganized␈αlabor␈αcan␈αbest␈αadvance␈αits␈αinterests␈αif
␈↓ α∧␈↓it␈α∂understands␈α∂the␈α⊂technological␈α∂changes␈α∂that␈α⊂are␈α∂likely␈α∂to␈α⊂occur.␈α∂ Mainly␈α∂this␈α⊂involves␈α∂paying
␈↓ α∧␈↓attention␈α∂to␈α∂the␈α∂already␈α∂great␈α∂efforts␈α⊂going␈α∂into␈α∂trying␈α∂to␈α∂predict␈α∂these␈α∂changes.␈α⊂ These␈α∂efforts
␈↓ α∧␈↓involve␈α
the␈α
Government␈α
-␈α
NSF␈α∞and␈α
the␈α
Office␈α
of␈α
Technology␈α
Assessment,␈α∞quasi-official␈α
bodies
␈↓ α∧␈↓like␈α∩the␈α⊃National␈α∩Academy␈α⊃of␈α∩Sciences,␈α∩non-profit␈α⊃organizations␈α∩like␈α⊃Rand␈α∩and␈α∩the␈α⊃Hudson
␈↓ α∧␈↓Institute,␈α∀political␈α∀and␈α∀social␈α∀think␈α∀tanks␈α∀like␈α∀Brookings␈α∀and␈α∀Hoover,␈α∀the␈α∀universities,␈α∪and
␈↓ α∧␈↓numerous␈α
private␈α
consultants,␈α
publishers␈αof␈α
newsletters␈α
and␈α
writers␈α
of␈αbooks.␈α
 There␈α
is␈α
no␈αpoint␈α
in
␈↓ α∧␈↓simply␈α∪duplicating␈α∪part␈α∪of␈α∪this␈α∪effort,␈α∪but␈α∪there␈α∪are␈α∪questions␈α∪neglected␈α∪by␈α∪these␈α∪others␈α∪of
␈↓ α∧␈↓particular interest to labor.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTI␈αcan't␈α
imagine␈αwhat␈α
all␈αof␈αthem␈α
are,␈αand␈α
I'll␈αconcentrate␈αon␈α
the␈αquality␈α
of␈αjobs.␈α
 Here␈αI'm
␈↓ α∧␈↓following␈α⊂Tom␈α⊃Donahue's␈α⊂presentation␈α⊃to␈α⊂the␈α⊂Arden␈α⊃House␈α⊂conference,␈α⊃although␈α⊂I␈α⊃forget␈α⊂the
␈↓ α∧␈↓phrase␈αhe␈αused.␈α As␈αmy␈αprevious␈αmemo␈αsaid,␈αthere␈αare␈αmany␈αunnecessarily␈αharmful␈αeffects␈αof␈αthe
␈↓ α∧␈↓dictatorial␈αinstincts␈α
of␈αpeople␈α
who␈αwrite␈α
computer␈αprograms␈α
for␈αother␈α
people␈αto␈α
use.␈α I␈αbelieve␈α
that
␈↓ α∧␈↓the␈α∀problem␈α∀can␈α∀be␈α∃better␈α∀understood␈α∀and␈α∀some␈α∀standards␈α∃formulated␈α∀by␈α∀means␈α∀of␈α∃a␈α∀an
␈↓ α∧␈↓appropriate␈αstudy␈αgroup␈αinvolving␈α
people␈αfrom␈αlabor,␈αgovernment,␈αcomputer␈α
science␈αdepartments
␈↓ α∧␈↓of universities and business.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTHowever,␈α
instead␈αof␈α
merely␈αlooking␈α
for␈αmenaces,␈α
it␈αis␈α
possible␈αto␈α
take␈αa␈α
positive␈αapproach␈α
to
␈↓ α∧␈↓improving␈α
the␈αquality␈α
of␈αjobs.␈α
 Doing␈α
this␈αrequires␈α
first␈αsome␈α
understanding␈αof␈α
what␈α
makes␈αone
␈↓ α∧␈↓job␈α∪more␈α∪desirable␈α∪than␈α∪another.␈α∪ Then␈α∪it␈α∪requires␈α∪exploring␈α∪the␈α∪technological␈α∩possibilities.
␈↓ α∧␈↓Computers make it possible to organize work in many different ways, so there is a lot to explore.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTBeginning␈α
this␈α∞search␈α
for␈α
ways␈α∞of␈α
improving␈α∞the␈α
quality␈α
of␈α∞jobs␈α
may␈α∞require␈α
overcoming
␈↓ α∧␈↓some␈αintrenched␈αattitudes␈αassociated␈αwith␈αthe␈αconcept␈αof␈αtechnology␈αassessment␈αwhich␈αseems␈αto␈αme
␈↓ α∧␈↓to␈α
have␈α
concentrated␈α
on␈α∞determining␈α
what␈α
ought␈α
to␈α
be␈α∞forbidden␈α
and␈α
has␈α
attracted␈α
people␈α∞of␈α
a
␈↓ α∧␈↓regulatory frame of mind.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTIn␈αthis␈αmatter␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthe␈αAFL-CIO␈αcan␈αbest␈αact␈αas␈αan␈αadvocate␈αand␈αorganizer.
␈↓ α∧␈↓It␈αshould␈αadvocate␈αredirecting␈αsome␈αgovernment,␈αthink␈αtank,␈αuniversity␈αand␈αbusiness␈αresearch␈α
into
␈↓ α∧␈↓measuring␈α∞the␈α∞quality␈α∞of␈α∞jobs␈α
and␈α∞into␈α∞figuring␈α∞out␈α∞how␈α∞to␈α
organize␈α∞work␈α∞so␈α∞as␈α∞to␈α∞improve␈α
it.
␈↓ α∧␈↓Areas␈α
where␈αlarge␈α
changes␈αare␈α
occurring␈α
anyway␈αsuch␈α
as␈αthose␈α
involving␈α
the␈αuse␈α
of␈αcomputers␈α
are
␈↓ α∧␈↓most promising.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTAgain␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthe␈αobvious␈αbeginning␈αis␈αto␈αhold␈αanother␈αconference␈αdedicated␈αto
␈↓ α∧␈↓specific issues of job enhancement.

␈↓ α∧␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ α∧␈↓Computer Science Department
␈↓ α∧␈↓Stanford University
␈↓ α∧␈↓Stanford, California 94305