RICHARD KERSHENBAUM University of Kansas

Transcription

1 TRENDS IN THE ORGANIZATION OF WORK IN THE UNITED STATES by RICHARD KERSHENBAUM University f Kansas Marx in Capital (1967: 371) quted Jhn Stuart Mill wh wrte that "It is questinable if all the mechanical inventins yet made have lightened the day's til f any human being." In his day, Mill was quite right, fr men had barely scratched the surface in utilizing mechanizatin. Marx crrectly fretld many f the scilgical effects f mechanizatin, but,he culd nt fresee the saving grace f capitalism in the cmmunicatin explsin f the 20th century which saked up the deficit f labrers left in the wake f the machines. Nw anther revlutin in the rganizatin f labr seems iminent with shyrcketing autmatin -- the mechanizatin f mechanizatin. Explred in this paper are the ptential effects n the American capitalist system f the latest trends in technlgy and the divisin f labr. Surces The figures fr Graphs 1 and 2 fr were taken frm the Ecnmic Almanac, editin. The 1970 figures were derived frm infrmatin published by the Bureau f Labr Statistics in its mnthly labr review. Since nt all f the issues f this publicatin fr 1970 were available, an average f the figures fr March and August was used. The figures fr Graphs 3 thrugh 7 were calculated frm the abve data.

2 I I Trends in the Organizatin f Wrk Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce - General Classificatins The farm wrker, rather than the blue cllar wrker, has been the great victim f autmatin in the 20th century thus far. The percenage f blue cllar wrkers in the labr frce cntinued t rise, thugh nt appreciably, until The crrelatin between the rise in the percentage f white cllar wrkers and the drp in the percentage f farm wrkers is mst striking. Yesterday's farmhands have becme tday's blue cllar wrkers, while yesterday's blue cllar wrkers have becme tday's white cllar "paper pushers." 199 Graph 1. Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce Blue cllar and service White cllar Farmers and farm labrers " <,... '" "- ' -: "., ' " -,. 20, <, <, " " <, " <,,'- 10 " '-... N... W...

3 200 Kansas Jurnal f Scilgy Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce: Classificatins f White Cllar Wrkers (Graph 2) Clerical wrkers have undergne the mst striking increase amng white cllar wrkers in the 20th century. By 1920 they had surpassed each f the ther three categries, and the upward trend has cntinued t the present. Even widespread use f cmputers has nt yet served t curb emplyment f clerical wrkers. In this cnnectin, it is interesting t nte that it tk sme 200 years since the Industrial Revlutin befre mechanizatin caused blue cllar emplyment t begin t drp (Graph 1). Cmputr prgrammers readily admit that they have barely scratched the surface as far as utilizing the capacities f their instruments. The delayed reactin f technlgy will begin t displace clerical wrkers first and then the ther frms f prductin "rganizers." With mre f the blue cllar frce displaced int the white cllar ranks by then, ne wnders where the labr frce will turn. With less need fr labr, surplusvalue will multiple in the hands f capitalists. Unless drastic refrms are instituted, we may witness a white cllar prletarian revlutin: Graph 2. Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce Clerical and kindred Prfessinal, technical and kindred Managers, fficials, and prprietrs Sales 15, ".,, ",, ' '" ", a... N a... 0'\

4 Trends in the Organizatin f Wrk 201 Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce - "A" :Mental Labrers "B" Primarily Nn-mental Labrers except Farm Labrers The tremendus decrease in farmers and farm labrers has allwed a simultaneus rise in bth mental labrers and nn-farm labrers with primarily nn-mental jbs. Graph 3. "A" "B" Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce Prfessinals, technical, managers, fficials, prprietrs Blue cllar, clerical, sales , '"

5 202 Kansas Jurnal f Scigy The 1970 figures reveal fr the first time a decrease in percentage f "B" labrers with a prprtna 11yarger 1 1ncrease 1n "A" wrkers, th se W1 th great er ecnm1c independence by virtue f their prfessinal nature. Yet there are still 2.95 "B"'s fr every "A". We seem t be witnessing a temprary decentralizatin f ecnmic cntrl due t the mechanizatin f industry and resultant transfer f the frmer industrial labr frce t rganizatinal rles. But cmputers prmise t recentralize cntrl f prductin and thrw the white cllar middle class back int cmplete dependence n a few capitalists. Graph 4. "B" Wrkers Per "A" Wrkers N """"-' Clerical and Kindred Wrkers Per "A" Wrker (Graph 5) Thugh the percentage f clerical wrkersin the labr frce as a whle is still n the rise, there is evidently a leveling ff f the number required by each mental labrer due t the increased mechanizatin f ffices. Autmated paperwrk factries may reverse the trend tward managerial and clerical specializatin begun by simple typewriters and calculatrs. Each man may again be his wn secretary.

6 Trends in the Organizatin f Wrk 203 Graph 5. Clerical and Kindred Wrkers Per "A" Wrker W +:' U1 Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce: "Prducers" - Wrkers directly imparting the value f their labr t prductin r service. "Org3.nizers"- Wrkers whse labr ges tward rganizatin f labr and distributin f prductin. (Graph 6)

7 204 '"""..'... -,.., Kansas Jurnal f. Scilgy.: 7 i Graph 6. Percentage f Ttal Labr Frce. I. I i1 "Prducers" - Prfessinals, teachers, blue cllar, service, farm "Organizers" - Managers, fficials, prprietrs, clerical, sales " ' \C... N W Ln 0\ " "".",...- Prducers Per Organizer (Graph 7) There is a marked cnvergence f the percentage f "prducers" and "rganizers." As mechanizatin has brught a drp in the labr needed fr prductin, mre labr is expended in 'rganizatin and marketing.. Much f the increasing interest in "cnsumer rights" is a rebellin against this seemingly superfluus labr value in prducts. After the effects f ver-autmatin and ver-centralizatin f prductin are felt, we may see a revival f individual craftsmanship as a Hegelian synthesis. Already there are less than tw prducers fr every rganizer in the American labr frce with n end in sight. Obviusly the labr-value system has undergne a revlutin relatively unnticed. If it cannt survive the change, a restructuring f the entire sciety will have t ccur.

8 Trends in the Organizatin f Wrk 205 Graph 7. "Prducers" Per "Organizer" ' References Marx, Karl 1967 Capital, vl 1. New Yrk: Internatinal Publishers. Natinal Industrial Cnference Bard Ecnmic Almanac (in cnjunctin with Newsweek). 1968