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Much as in the late 1950s and early 1960s we read about the impact that automation would have on blue collar jobs, so is literature now beginning to appear on what effects can be expected as new, highly sophisticated equipment is introduced into the office—the world of pink and white collar workers. Because of an expanding economy and a rapidly growing segment of the service sector, as well as the fact that the automated equipment introduced in the 1950s and 1960s was both unifunctional and expensive, the dire predictions as to its impact proved wrong. But the 1950s scenario no longer holds. Thus the introduction of new office equipment may well have an adverse impact on both the quantity and quality of jobs, particularly the lower paying jobs traditionally held by women. Hard data on the actual impact of the new technology on the office work force are hard to pinpoint: the phenomenon is a very recent one; other variables usually come into play; and we are now living in a global economy—jobs that appear lost may simply have been moved. Perhaps the best way to fill the data gap would be to work with one or more of the labor unions that have organized office workers to develop the best methods to study the subject.

Much as the literature in the late 1950s & early 1960s discussed the impact of automation on blue-collar jobs, so now is it addressing the effects of introducing new, highly sophisticated equipment into the office -- the world of pink- & white-collar workers. Because of an expanding economy & rapidly growing service sector, & the fact that early automated equipment was both unifunctional & expensive, the first dire predictions proved wrong. But the 1950s scenario no longer holds, & today's new office equipment may well adversely impact both the quantity & quality of jobs, particularly women's lower paying jobs. Hard data on the actual impact, however, are scarce, since the phenomenon is so recent; the best way to fill the data gap might be to work with the labor unions that have organized office workers. Modified HA.

Collective bargaining will evolve in the next 20 years in response to the changes taking place in the world of work and union reaction to those changes. Job security will be a central issue, with increased emphasis on reducing work time to create more jobs. We also foresee more union mergers and increased inclusion in the labor movement of workers not traditionally a part of the union's constituency. That, in turn, will further erode the effectiveness of centralized bargaining. Moreover, unions will attempt to alter their traditional role as reactors to managements' unilateral actions and see themselves as partners with management. The role of the government and the courts may alter the collective bargaining process, but whether it will erode or strengthen that process is still an open question.