New York State Labor History Association Annual Conference

Abstract

New York State Labor History Association is one of the few organiza tions in the Northeast which regularly brings together academics and practitioners to discuss problems facing workers and their organizations. Historians, economists, and sociologists are called upon to put these issues in an understandable context while trade unionists discuss their current impact on the workplace. This year's annual conference, held at the headquarters of Local 802 Ameri can Federation of Musicians on April 13-14, addressed the topic Labor's Response to Technology. program included a labor history and technology walking tour of lower Manhattan led by Debra Bernhardt and Jon Bloom, a screening and discussion of the films Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu and The Business of America conducted by Miriam Frank, and a full day of conference and discussion. Historian Robert Asher of the University of Connecticut began the confer ence with an historical overview of the relationship of labor to technological change in a paper entitled The Humane View: American Unions and a Century of Techno logical Change. Asher argued that American workers have a long history of trying to manage technological changes by developing values in the workplace with recog nize the right to job security, income stability, and a safe and humane work routine. In countering managements' attempts to control the workplace through Taylor's personnel functions, labor has responded over the past century with its own strate gies: calls for government ownership, reduction in hours, strong work rules and work guarantees, unemployment insurance, comanagement, and of course the use of economic action. Asher concluded that the federal government's inverventionist role from the compromises of the War Labor Board through the present has weakened the workers' role in controlling the introduction of new technology. remainder of the morning was reserved for case studies of how specific unions have dealt with technology issues. John Glasel, President of Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, reported on his union's efforts to counter the use of recorded music for dance performances and synthesizers in the production of film scores, television commercials, and jingles. His union has struck over the technology issue and has also lobbied heavily for legislative assistance in changing the copyright codes. Jack Boris, negotiator for the International Typographical Union, outlined