If Labor is to heighten its prospects it must explore changes related to the new centrality of information. Infotech, or the mix of gadgets spawned by a synthesis of computers and telecommunications, revolutionizes organizations and the lives of us all.
Cellular phones abound.
We wonder how we ever got anything done before e-mail. We take the fax for granted, and watch with wonder while the Internet transforms itself before our eyes. Our children ask how did we ever get along before search engines, personal homepages, Nintendo, Myst, interactive games, chat rooms, and the exotic like. Much to its credit, the AFL-CIO and certain of its major affiliates have moved quickly to turn infotech to advantage. The AFL-CIO's LaborNet service on Compuserve, for example, has pioneered in bringing both official information and informal chat rooms to union activists.