Future of Work

Future of Work explores how work is changing, including the introduction of new technologies and new forms of work organization, and what that means for workers and their unions.

Management is restructuring our workplaces and work processes. The key work process trends include:

• Standardization/De-Skilling
• Intensification/Lean
• Multi-Skilling/Job Combination/Flexibility
• Automation/New Technologies
• Monitoring
• Outsourcing/Moving Work

In this space, we will be posting articles and information about these trends. We will organize them by industry and by type. Feel free to send us articles that you think others would be interested in. You can send them to Charles_Richardson@uml.edu. Some of the sectors we will be following include:

• Health Care
• Retail
• Manufacturing
• Construction

The Changing Workplace: A Challenge for Organizers (pdf)
A Labor Extension Program Paper

The Future of Work: Surrendering the Shop Floor Means Surrendering the Future (pdf)
by Charley Richardson, October 2004
Article published in Labor Notes urging us all to pay attention to the changes in technology and work organization that are taking place in our workplaces - changes that are impacting our members and the ability unions to represent the members' future.