Re: [OPE] Limits of lean production in the US?

> Labor-saving technology like online ticketing and
> check-in kiosks, for example, allowed airlines to operate with far fewer
> employees than before.
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704858304575497942728583462.html?mod=WSJEUROPE_hpp_MIDDLEThirdNews
>
> I wonder where Justin gets the evidence from that online ticketing is
> responsible for the reduction of the airlines workforce?

Hi Jurriaan:
 
That shouldn't be a controversial claim, I think. After all, there
can be reductions in the size of the workforce due both to demand/
crisis related reasons and attempts to increase productivity. Indeed,
that is often the pattern during capitalist crisis: firms both reduce
the size of the employed labor force due to the shortfall in demand for
output and at the same time attempt to increase productivity in various ways,
including increasing the intensity of work. Workers, already in fear
for their jobs, are less likely to resist these changes - which, of course,
is all the more reason for capitalists to assert their increased control
over workers by pressing for these changes.
 
In solidarity, Jerry
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Received on Mon Sep 20 11:08:24 2010