THE TEACHER AND AUTONATION Carl J. Megel, Dr. George S. Reuter Jr. PRESIDENT RESEARCH DIRECTOR Price: 25 cents. © AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS A.F.L.-C.1.0., 1962 716 NORTH RUSH STREET CHICAGO 11, ILLINOIS THE TEACHER AND AUTONATION INTRODUCTION id; ‘' i started centurie = eats tly said: Automation ben apes. i E. Elliott recent?) : Ml ‘ es Waltee man first hooked a plow onto a a of a horse. Ve was here whee existence wine mass producing his tin lizzy. In - » it was present when the Phy Henry sat bi carved out the first wheel. The oe y thing new is the name, ha Bree ied mechanization, modernization, production improvement, and inesuict it was . other things."’ n of Teachers is currently concerned with hip to teachers and education. A phase of t Teaching Machines and the Age of the N the issue of his interest ew Frontier, The American Federatio automation and its relations was expressed in our study, With the cooperation of President George Meany of AFL-CIO; Dr. Ewan Clague U. S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics; and Deputy Commissioner of Labor Statistics Robert J. Myers, some of the principles and issues concerning automation are noted, MR. MEANY: “Automatic and semi-automatic production methods are spreading into almost every type of work. Not since the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centu- ries has radical technological change affected such a large part of the economy and so many different kinds of jobs. “‘New types of automatic machines and methods, symbolized by the term ‘automa- tion,’ are being put to use rapidly and widely--in manufacturing and farming, rail- roads and mines, communications and clerical work, retail and wholesale trade. At the same time, older types of machines are being modernized and being made semi- automatic. The pace of technological change and its widespread application are speeding up. “Although the present extent of automation differs from one industry to another, many departments, plants and offices already have converted to automatic and semi-automatic operations. Others are making the change-over now or are planning it for the future. oe aaa 3 0 P -day’s j In addition, new equipment and production methods are making yesterday's eee van marvels out of date. Last year, the Texas Co., for example, linked auto- 1¢ refining operations to an electronic computer and started operations of a comuerscontolled refinery, described ay ‘the first. fully auvonaeie COMPU: bail et peenens _ process, Other computer-control led automatic plants ss sad large numbers of ae a industries, which have traditionally ne Gi with automati P Skilled workers, are in the midst of the automation revolutiony ve machine tools that perform complicated jobs. The — oe ‘he whan first industrial revolution of one hundred and more years: age da Power of anj F : 2 wee f animals and human beings with steam and electric-powere chines, operated : . : er visors of eet Mev ape tenders. Automation replaces machine operators by Tee is cont e « oes » noble distant future wil] ; rolled Operating systems. In addition, the and the . see the j A je 2 a4 ossib ; he increase wale i 7 » energy P le use of solar energy by iis Renan Jee time use of atomic an 2 d commerce, ‘'Hapid and radical changes in ter bnology are creating vast changes in machines, production methods, work-flow, office procedures, manpower requirements, labor skills and industry location, They are alao creating great changes in products. Printed circuits and transistors are replacing wiring and tubes in electronic equipment. New plastics are replacing metals for various purposes. Hadioactive Ltsotopes of atomic reactors, are widely used in industry. by-products ‘Such radical technological changes can result in increased productivity, improved national strength and living conditions, better public services and in- creased leisure, In the long run, such social and economic gains will probably be achieved, as the benefits of automation are spread to all groups in the population and as society adjusts to the new technology. But in this period of transition--in the next 10 to 20 years--the widespread and rapid introduction of radical techno- logical change can create vast social and economic disruptions. ‘"Radical changes in technology always create some dislocations. skills are made obsolete and new skills are required. Some types of we eliminated and entire industries are wiped out. Changes in materials and p cause the decline of some industries and the creation of new one There are in industry location. Entire communities and regions are affected by and birth of industries. ‘‘If radical technological changes are introduced slowly, in an economy whose production and employment are increasing rapidly, social and economic dislocations can be minimized, ‘*kven under such conditions, however, there would be numerous human and social problems that would require solutions--such as individuals and groups of workers who are displaced, others whose skills are downgraded, communities whose plants have shut down or moved to new locations and workers who require retraining for new skills. But solutions to such localized and specific dislocations are manageable in a rapidly growing economy. They can be developed through such efforts as labor- management cooperation and collective bargaining, training and retraining of workers in new skills, improved social legislation to aid displaced workers and their families, and federal government assistance for economically distressed communities. ‘*Qur experience in the past several years, however, has not been with local- ized and specific problems of dislocation. Technological change has been radical. Its speed of introduction has been rapid, At the same time, sales and production have risen slowly. As a result, there has been an insufficient number of new job opportunities to provide full-time employment for a growing labor force, as well as for those who are displaced by technological change. “Since the rapidly spreading use of automation equipment has been accompanied by a slow-down of economic expansions-the real volume of total national production has risen at an average yearly rate of only about 24 percent since 1953--the human and social problems connected with radical technological change have been widespread and growing. “In the past 7 years of slowly rising production, sales and jobs, radical technological change has taken a great toll, The potential social benefits of technological advances have been wasted. Much of the economy’s rising productivity and growing labor force has been translated, not into the expanded production of needed goods and services, but into rising unemployment and part-time work, idle plants and machines and an increasing number of distressed communities. 3 adical technological change has eliminated hundreds of mi-skilled jobs in factories, railroads om Mines, and f farmers have also been qj i j ll. Hundreds of thousands o maues some hg et icy oes wares at good wages have been scarce for unskilled Oe coulis lad displaced workers and there has been an insufficient number of ney jobs for the young people who are entering the job market. ‘*During recent years © thousands of unskilled and se! 7 ilroad worker and miner is ke: displaced farmer, factory worker, ral ‘ : aw either Mo okayed oF working part time, at low wages, in retail or wholesale trade or the services. Much of the burden of radical technological change in recent years has fallen on unskilled and semi-skilled workers--individuals and families, with little if any financial resources.... a erience of the 1920s and 1930s should be a lesson on the results of iene ee aiiaae to rapid technological change. The Great Depression of the 1930s was caused, in part, by the economy’s failure to adjust to the widespread intro- duction of mass production methods in the 1920s. Not only were millions of workers unemployed during the 1930s, but the collapse of markets and sharply reduced profits halted the application of technological advances for many years. ‘The decade of the 1960s poses even greater problems of adjustment to tech- nological change than we experienced in the past 10 years. Technological change is speeding up. Almost every AFL-CIO union reports the spread of automatic and semi- automatic machines. Newspapers and magazines also report a speeding up in the pace of technological change--particularly in clerical work, retail and wholesale trade and the services. It is in these types of employment, along with state and local governments, that jobs increased in recent years, while jobs in factories, farms mines and railroads declined. An increased pace of radical technological change in clerical work, trade and services, however, may halt or slow down the rise of jobs in such employment in the years immediately ahead.... “*A proper national economic and social environment is required--an environment in which new full-time job opportunities are increasing at a rapid pace and in which the federal government provides national programs of adequate social cushions to protect workers, their families and communities against the hazards of rapid tech- nological change. Shorter standard working hours are required, too, as productivity rises and labor requirements are reduced. Such an environment is needed to make the achievements of collective bargaining and labor-management cooperation in the work- place truly successful. ‘Organized labor welcomes technological change, as providing the basis for potential benefits for the nation and all Americans. In the past, American trade unions made technological progress possible. The present advanced stage of tech- nology in the United States stands as testimony to the acceptance of technological advances by the American people and to the cooperative efforts of organized labor. “*But organized labor insists that must be cushioned, that government and b to minimize social dislocations and workers, advances, the burdens of rapid technological change usiness must assume their responsibilities : dt to provide adequate cushions that will protect their families and communities against the hazards of radical technological e a y 1 : . - In our sense of values, as Americans and as trade unionists, human beings and human welfare are more important th i i mi an machines and t : ering the costs of technological advances aevaiogy: ta sain f + one must include more than the cost of buildings - ba citer i The costs of assisting human beings and communities to adjust to changing technology should be included as an important part of the total investment costs in the new technology, 4 ‘*America needs continuing technological progress permit vast dislocations of workers and their families a communities. But we cannot and must not nd disruptions of numerous **An environment of rapid economic . growth and rapidly increasing job opportuni- ties is needed, in order to minimize t he dislocations of rapid and radical tech- nological change.As technological progress increases production, with less manpower, standard working hours should be reduced, without any cut of weekly earnings. In addition, labor-management cooperation and collective bargaining procedures are required, as well as government programs,to assist displaced workers, their families and communities in the transition to the new technology.... ‘*As radical technological change spreads, and manpower requirements are cut, standard working hours should be reduced without a reduction of weekly earnings. Legislation, as well as collective bargaining, should produce a reduction of standard working hours, with no reduction of worker's earnings. ‘*A national economic environment of rapid economic growth and rising full-time job opportunities is a basic prerequisite for an adequate adjustment to rapid and radical technological change. “*A faster rate of economic growth would not be, in itself, a panacea for all problems connected with radical and rapid technological change. It would narrow down these problems to more manageable size. In the work-place, however, there would remain a vast number of specific problems to be solved. “*Even in periods of high and rising employment, the widespread introduction of automatic and semi-automatic machines means that some workers may be displaced and others would be affected by changes in jobs and skill requirements. ‘*The new technology usually means the elimination of some jobs, down-grading some skill requirements and up-grading others. For many skilled and semi-skilled workers, automation results in making their skills obsolete. The grout of workers that has been most directly hit by rapid technological change in recent years has been semi-skilled employees--the machine tenders and machine operators of the older technology, which is now passing from most parts of the economy.... “With the spreading tendency of companies to shut down old plants and to build others in new areas, a comprehensive program of federal government assistance for economically distressed communities is essential--to aid businesses in such local- ities to change their production lines, to help attract businesses into such areas and to retrain workers in new skills. Such a national effort is needed to prevent the large-scale waste of private and public investment in homes, schools, community facilities, shops, factory structures and old family ties. ‘*Relocation allowances, under law, as well as collective bargaining, may be necessary to assist workers and their families to move, if they wish, to locations of new job opportunities.... “Many specific and localized problems, related to rapid and radical tech- nological change, can be handled through collective bargaining, labor-management cooperation and joint community efforts, assisted by the federal government. But the major responsibility for providing adequate safeguards and cushions for adjustments to rapid technological change lies with the federal government. “Tt is the responsibility of the federal government under the Employment Act of 1946 to pursue policies ‘to promote maximum employment, production and purchasing 5 power.’ This responsibility should be fulfilled. Only in an economy that is growing rapidly and creating new job opportunities at a fast pace can the dislocations of automation be held to a minimum...."" DR. CLAGUE: ““Seventy-five years ago the printing trades were among the most highly skilled and highly paid in American industry.They enjoyed a relatively high economic status; they were about as highly organized as any of the trades at that time, and they were enjoying the fruits of prosperity in an expanding industry. ‘‘Then the Linotype machine became a practical printing tool, which made it possible for printing establishments to displace thousands of highly skilled trades- men. The story was described in detail by Professor George E. Barnett of Johns- Hopkins University in a book titled Machinery and Labor, published in 1926.... ‘*Professor Barnett estimated that by January 1904, even allowing for a reduc- tion in work hours from 10 to 8 per day, the potential displacement of hand com- positors would be 36,000. However, Barnett went on to point out that the actual displacements resulting in unemployment were far less, amounting perhaps to only half that number. Furthermore, it was in the first half of the period 1890-1903 that the workers suffered the most unemployment. By 1897 economies in production result- ing from the use of the Linotype caused an enormous increase in the amount of composition to be done. Barnett concludes that the expanding demand for labor after 1897 more than offset the displacing power of the machine. ‘*Let me cite another example, the glass industry. For over four thousand years, from the earliest dawn of history to the beginning of the 20th Century, glassmaking was an art in which there were no fundamental changes in its productive processes, Then within a period of two decades, the major segments of the industry were completely mechanized. This story was described in detail by Boris Stern in his study of Productivity of Labor in the Glass Industry (BLS Bulletin No. 441, 1927). **Stern pointed out that early in the 14th Century the French Government decreed that ‘none save gentlemen or the sons of gentlemen should engage in (glass- making) even as working artisans. In the Italian States of Venice and Murano each glassmaker, no matter of what origin, was entitled to be called ‘‘ maker,’’ thus becoming a nobleman by virtue of his trade alone....’ **At about 1900 there began the introduction of a series of semiautomatic and automatic glassmaking machinery which completely revolutionized the industry. The output per man-hour for the machine processes in comparison with the older hand processes was about 40 times greater for small prescription bottles, about 30 times for electric light bulbs, nearly 15 times for milk bottles, more than 12 times for table tumblers, and lesser multiplying amounts for other types of glass. Labor costs were correspondingly reduced in the machine process to less than 3 percent in small prescription bottles, to somewhat more than 3 percent in electric light bulbs, to about 5 percent in milk bottles, and to less than 7 percent in table tumblers...- ‘*In 1927-28, I myself had the opportunity to participate in a BLS study of ‘Productivity in the Iron and Steel Industry.’ A report was published titled Produc- tivity of Labor in Merchant Blast Furnaces (BLS Bulletin No. 474, 1929). At that time, the blast furnace industry was in the midst of a transition from the older methods of hand charging and sand casting to mechanical methods (the skip-hoist, the pig casting machine). The introduction of machine methods in a blast furnace was usually accempanied by a reduction of 50 percent or more in the loading and casting crews. This was a case of the elimination of common labor and of hot, unpleasant 6 gentleman glass- and ggpteatge oe gh eget eyo a period of less than a decade machine methods took overly eke ‘ eachoila. wi mevzon of certain specialty products. The introduction of these machine S$ was an important factor in the increase in output per wan-hour in merchant blast furnace operations in the middle 1920's - ‘ e i . “*We read Re the Papers today about similar spectacular labor-saving machines or processes--the automatic engine plant, the giant coal digger-shovel, the > elec tronic computer and many others. The word ‘automation’ merely characterizes [ ome of the characteristics of recent methods of mechanization. ... ‘‘The broadest effect of changing technology is on the economy as a whole. We measure this in the form of indexes of changing output per man-hour of labor. This doesn’t mean that we consider labor to be the only factor in production, nor that labor is solely responsible for increasing productivity. Rather we cent attention upon labor because, for the economy as a whole, it is by far the largest ing prising as much as four-fifths of the total cost of production), and beca workers constitute the group who bear the brunt of the consequences of change.--- technological ‘*The benefits flowing from technical improvements in production are so well known and so generally recognized that there is no need for me to do record them. The overall rate of productivity gain is the most import in the nation’s rate of economic growth. We estimate that the labor force is increasing at a rate of about 1.5 percent a year. This could produce a 1,5 percent annual increase in total output. A growth rate of 4 or 5 percent can only be achieved through higher productivity. However, the increased output due to a larger supply of workers doesn’t provide more goods and services for each worker and his family. A rise in the average level or standard of living can come only from risi produc- tivity per worker. Shorter hours and leisure time are also the fruits of techno- logical efficiency. “Yet at the same time we must bear in mind that these changes have social and economic costs which must be met. Our problem as a nation is how to distribute these costs equitably and how to share the benefits and the burdens of industrial change. ‘¢...During the last few years a number of important experiments have been undertaken jointly by individual companies and unions. One example is the collective agreement between the Armour Meatpacking Company and two unions--the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen and the United Packinghouse Workers. (MLR, October 1959.) In this case the management and the unions joined in a study program to find out what could be done to meet the difficult problems faced by the company and the industry. The company has found it necessary to close obsolete plants and concen- trate production elsewhere. In the agreement the company arranged to establish a fund of $500,000 to be used to study the problems resulting from the modernization Program and to make recommendations for their solution, including training employees to perform new and changed jobs and promoting employment opportunities within the company for those affected. A joint labor-management committee under the direction of an impartial chairman has been conducting studies for the past year on the experiences of this company. ‘*The closing of one plant in Oklahoma provided an opportunity to try out some methods of readjustment Training programs were offered, but not all workers signed up for them. Some lacked the basic education needed for training. Some who took the training did not find jobs.... the Kaiser Company and the United Steel Workers have dy the subject: one Committee to deal with 7 ., ‘*In the steel industry, J°intly established two committees to stu internal working rules, and the other, a long-range committee, to work on the problem of sharing the benefits of higher productivity among the workers, the management, and the consumers.... “*In 1959 the Pacific Maritime Association signed an agreement with the Inter- national Longshoremen?s and Warehousemen’s Union providing for the creation of a fund of $5 million per year for 5-% years. This agreement gives the employers a freer hand in introducing technological improvements in longshoring. The union obtains the benefits of the fund, supplying the following listed benefits to the workers: minimum weekly earnings guarantee, early retirement or lump sum payment at normal retirement age, separation allowances, disability and death benefits, and other protective devices. It is the hope of the employers that the increases in productivity will be sufficient to offset the cost of the fund. “*Tt is surely evident that government has an important part to play in assist- ing labor and management to deal with this problem. “*One function of the government is the provision of information on the sub- ject. For many years the Bureau of Labor Statistics has produced analyses of future manpower needs. The Bureau produces the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which summa- rizes in outline form the job prospects for young people in some 600 occupations. A new edition of this Handbook is issued every two years. The 1961 edition will become available next autumn. The purpose of this book is to enable young workers to select occupations in which there is a bright economic future, and in which they will be needed. “*Second, the publication of facts concerning the experiences of labor and management have proven useful. For several years the Bureau has published automation case studies--in an insurance company, a manufacturing plant, a bakery, a petroleum refinery and an airline reservation system. These studies showed the ways in which company managements, either on their own initiative or in cooperation with the union, introduced the new equipment--advance explanation to employees, assurances of job security, provision of opportunities for transfer or retraining, use of normal attrition to take care of employment declines, etc.... ‘*In conclusion, I want to say a few words about the responsibilities of engineers, In using that term, I am including not only the engineering profession in a narrow sense, but also the chemists, the physicists, the scientists, and all re- search and development staff who are engaged in developing industrial innovations ‘You can render a service to the Nation by making your technical knowledge available to those agencies in government and in private industry which are studying the impact of automation.... ‘*Finally, you who are the creators and developers of the new technology have an interest as citizens in the social and economic consequences of your activities The highest efficiency of the new machines and methods can be achieved only if there is willing acceptance and active cooperation on the part of the workers who operate them....'’ MR. MYERS: ‘*Automation is simply a modern phase of technological change. Some would distinguish it from the older varieties on the ground that it makes greater use of self-regulating devices, computers and transfer machines, Perhaps a case can be made for such distinction. But I am very doubtful that it would help us very much in dealing with the problems growing out of automation.... 8 **We are aetna of course, in koowing ats i more rapic th A : ether paneedine cebtons dient. pees! did. But we have no satisfactory means of measuring y. Instead, we fal] back on the nie Wativement ort ; 4 e| oOo pro- = 8 , i i guctivity» Ad relationship of the ‘output’ of the productive input of labor, management, equipment, and so forth. : ern ee technological change is **It is very common to measure ; productivi goods and services and the input of vity as a ratio between the output of human labo i F T, expressed in man-h 5 6 hours. Output per man-hour is only one of several measures that could be used, but it iw particaleris iate in the United States wh appropriat where human values are ‘ 2 rough indicator of the rate of technological change paramount. It provides a “*Because the measurement of productivit changing American economy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has given considerable attention to this subject. Last year we published a detailed statistical study of productivity trends over a period of 50 years. (Trends in Output per Wan-Hour in the Private Economy, 1909-1958. Bulletin No. 1249), In this study and in subsequent extensions of the statistics, we found that Output per man-hour in the private economy rose by an average of about 2.4 percent per year over the entire period 1909-1959. But since World War II (1947-59) it has risen at an annual rate of nearly 3.4 percent. This suggests that technological change has been taking place somewhat more rapidly since the war than in the preceding four decades. y is so important in understanding the ‘‘Part of the acceleration after World War II was due to the extraordinary gains in agriculture, where output per man-hour rose at an average annual rate of over 6 percent. We cannot expect to maintain such a rate indefinitely. But even the nonfarm sector has shown a more rapid increase (2.8 percent) since the war than it did over the 50 years as a whole (2.1 percent). ‘*The level of our productivity increase indeed seems quite modest. At first blush it is difficult to believe that so small a gain could vitally affect the economy. But even the long-term average increase of 2.4 percent annually is suf- ficient to double the output per man-hour about every 30 years. And rising produc- tivity has meant rising real incomes and a higher standard of living. ‘*We cash in on part of our rising productivity through increased leisure time, part through increased personal consumption of goods and services. But we also count on rising productivity to enable us to compete successfully in international trade, despite the high wages we pay. We count on it to improve our defense strength, to support foreign aid to developing countries. In short, technological advance is the source of our high level of living and of much of our national greatness. ities for good, technological change is often Tegarded with suspicion and fear. The gains in living standards and in national Strength which it brings may involve heavy cost to a small but significant part of the labor force who lose their jobs and their occupations. ‘Despite its great potential ‘‘This baleful aspect of automation has long been recognized. Take pores io Walter Hunt, a New Yorker who invented a sewing machine in the 7 S, - i n Patent it because he feared the mass unemployment of peers ey ge ° A sae lias Howe’s introduction of his own machine demonstrated the a 2 : Goes 8pproach, and the expansion of the ready-to-wear apparel industry demonstrated its error, es, delayed the introduction of because of its concern over the ho worked by hand. ‘ lli “‘Much later a great nation, one of our @ ‘yPewriters into its government offices for Soa ate of its scores of copyists and record keepers 9 ‘*As recently as the 1930’s a Committee of Congress seriously considered a moratorium on labor saving inventions for fear they would aggravate the unemployment problem. I wonder where the American economy would have been in World War II if this proposal had been adopted! ‘‘What are the dimensions of occupational displacement? How long are the dis- placed workers out of work before they find other steady jobs?We don’t have specific answers to these questions; strictly speaking, they are unanswerable, In many cases it is impossible to determine whether a displaced worker has lost his job because of automation, because of growing consumer preference for a competing product, because of simple bad management by his employer or for some other reason.... “*Another way to view the question is to start out with the average increase in output per man-hour (in the private economy) of 2.4 percent. In an economy employing some 67 million, and assuming no change in average hours, this rate of gain would permit the same output of goods and services each year with some 1,6 million fewer workers than the year before. It is unrealistic,of course, to consider this number as actually thrown out of work each year, since productivity tends to level off when the economy is stagnant; in other words, when productivity is rising we won’t produce the same amount of goods and services, but a larger amount. Some of the displaced workers will be quickly absorbed. On the other hand, there is always a carry-over of workers who were displaced in earlier years and have not yet found employment.... **We know, however, that the number of persons receiving unemployment benefits in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area in mid-May was 81,500, and the total number of unemployed was undoubtedly appreciably greater. Instead of speculating on the number of these who may be unemployed due to automation, I propose to consider what has happened in three industries of considerable importance to Pittsburgh and to the Nation and in which technological change has exercised profound influence. **Coal, One of these is coal. In 1947 this industry employed more than 400,000 production workers. From 1947 to 1959 mechanization of loading, the growth of strip mining and the use of continuous mining machines have contributed to the virtual doubling of output per man-hour. Only this week I have read of a monstrous new power shovel being developed for strip mining, taller than Niagara Falls and capable of ripping up more than 100 tons of earth and rock in a single bite. At the same time-- and this is an important point to note--coal mining has suffered from technological change in other industries.... ‘*Railroads have undergone a similar though somewhat less drastic change in productivity. Output per man-hour (for production workers) rose by 65 percent from 1947 to 1959. Here mechanization of maintenance of way, the introduction of powerful diesel locomotives and centralized traffic control were largely responsible for the impressive gains.... ‘*Steel. The steel industry has had a somewhat similar experience. From 1947 to 1959 (a strike year, but probably as suitable for this comparison as any recent year), output per man-hour (for production workers) rose by 42 percent. Production increased by some 15 percent, but production worker employment dropped by 20 per- cent. The impact of technological change on employment in steel has, then, been less drastic than in coal mining and railroads.. ‘*From a consideration of such examples of technological change, it would be easy to paint a gloomy picture of the future--one in which the machines take over and nobody has a job except a few ‘programmers’ and a few aides whose job is to press the starting buttons. But there is no justification for such an outlook. 10 nological change, as we hay ulting in a growing body of p res have failed to find any con has been upward. © seen, has been ermanent| Vincing e with us for a Y unemployed, Farnest vidence ; that the long. long time without students of unemploy- run trend of jobless- ment ness ‘'That is not to say that we ca ytomation- There are practical step technological unemployment and to mit n afford to ig S that can be lgate its unfa hore the social ramifications of taken to reduce the incidence of vorable consequences os specific steps ore spe S can : aie situations, We eae ae to prevent displacement. and hardship in ge ean ised successfully pets 3 . good deal of information about methods a . ae cen ears, 2 2 $ ; that Moved effective: years. Here are some of the steps which **(a) Advance planning by mana g gement is highl yentive steps that are possible are ghly essential if some of the pre- actually to be taken. , ‘*(b) Employees should be informed wel] - z in advance . requested in making a smooth transition. RES 488 tasks coopenstion **(c) Full advantage should be taken of attrit Often attrition alone is sufficient to accom ning is begun far enough in advance lon as a means of reducing staff. plish the necessary reduction if plan- **(d) A program should be launched to transfer employees who are likely to be affected by automation to jobs left open by separations, or to recruit them to fill new jobs that will be created as a result of automation. This is a big job. It will involve accurate assessment of abilities, effective persuasion and very frequently retraining. ‘*(e) Obviously the planning of new jobs must be carried on simultaneously with preparations to dispense with old ones. “*(f) Finally, where lay-offs are inescapable, they should be carried out in an orderly manner, with ample warning ahead of time in order to minimize hardship... ‘*Finally, government has a part to play. Government has special advantages in the field of occupational counseling. Young workers must be discouraged from enter- ing trades that are likely to dwindle or disappear. The Occupational Outlook Hand- book of the BLS provides information on the outlook in hundreds of occupations and is a tool of tremendous usefulness to all counselors. Good basic education and Vocational training are essential in an economy that will rely more and more on Scientific knowledge and a high degree of skill. In some cases, as in the railroad industry, government can play a part in resolving the thorny issues that separate labor and management....But preventive measures will not be enough.... CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS l. That the American Federation of Teachers believes the teachers should take the leadership in making the public aware of automation achers will continue to seek solutions to 2. That the American Federation ies fore they become impossible the problems concerning automation be f Teachers urges additional study of automa- 3. That the American Federation © the government, and the general tion by its members, the labor movement, public. 11 $0000 GSR: ebt me “Wait till automation reaches management A dl 90. 1962 levelsx—then we won't hear so much about pri ’ ‘learning to live with it.’ ”