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In industrial relations, automation is frequently used as a synonym for displacement. More precisely defined, automation can have various direct & immediate effects on jobs. It may eliminate jobs outright: it may eliminate parts of several jobs: it may require new combinations of skills: & it may affect responsibility, working conditions, & the extent of worker control over rate of output. The impact of these effects has varied greatly in the past decade, depending on the nature of the work rules in the industry or the operation. Automation has been adopted most extensively in industries or operations which impose few barriers to reassignment of job duties - or in operations where collective bargaining is rare. Where automation has encountered rigid job lines & other restrictive work rules, labor management conflict has at times been intense. As automation becomes more flexible & economical, it may invade such areas to an increasing degree. Labor & management & the gov have adopted a variety of measures to prevent or alleviate displacement & to study proposals for future bargaining. AA.

Mr. Mordechai E. Lando has devoted his entire 'Comment' to one paragraph in my article, 'Full Employment and the New Economics', which ran to 36 paragraphs. Despite this rather narrow concentration, Mr. Lando has seriously misstated my argument in that one paragraph, and he has supported his criticisms by misstatements of fact and errors in analysis. Since his criticisms go to the heart of a thesis that I have developed in some detail during the past decade, I think that I should answer them rather fully.

In industrial relations, "automation" is frequently used as a synonym for "displacement." More precisely de fined, automation can have various direct and immediate ef fects on jobs. It may eliminate jobs outright; it may elimi nate parts of several jobs; it may require new combinations of skills; and it may affect responsibility, working conditions, and the extent of worker control over rate of output. The im pact of these effects has varied greatly in the past decade, de pending on the nature of the work rules in the industry or the operation. Automation has been adopted most extensively in industries or operations which impose few barriers to reas signment of job duties—or in operations where collective bar gaining is rare. Where automation has encountered rigid job lines and other restrictive work rules, labor-management con flict has at times been intense. As automation becomes more flexible and economical, it may invade such areas to an increas ing degree. Labor and management and the government have adopted a variety of measures to prevent or alleviate displace ment and to study proposals for future bargaining.