The Use of Microcomputers in Local Union Administration.

Declining prices and increasingly user-friendly software are making computer technology accessible to an ever-broader segment of the population. Trade unionists are beginning to explore and in some cases to experiment with the use of microcomputers in local union administration. The article describes some of the potential applications and experiences in teaching unionists how to use, purchase, and design microcomputer systems for applications in local union administration. Authors' also discuss policy issues that arise when a local union decides to computerize. Microcomputers are general use machines that can be programmed to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. In most local unions, no single task is likely to be sufficiently important to justify the purchase of a microcomputer. Thus multiple applications should be considered from the outset. This generally means that several officers of the local, who are responsible for different administrative tasks, must be convinced of the desirability of computerization before a local makes a purchase.