The Labor Boys: Mediation and Arbitration in America, 1942-1993
HIST 366
Fall 2009 not offered
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When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Germany declared war on the United States, victory over the Axis powers depended on America's industrial might. However, American unions and corporations were sharply divided. To address this problem, FDR appointed the National War Labor Board that in turn hired a corps of young economics professors and labor lawyers whom they trained as mediators. The "Labor Board boys," as this group of men (and one woman) was nicknamed, bonded together like soldiers at the front. Like the armed forces, their work was essential for victory. Unlike soldiers, however, the group remained together after the war ended. For the next 50 years and more, they continued to try to resolve the most pressing issues confronting the nation-not only strikes and other industrial disputes, but also the the integration of Southern public schools, the 1960s student revolts, discrimination against minorities in industry, the stagflation of the 1970s, modernization of Third World economies, and the U.S.-Soviet confrontation over nuclear weapons during the 1980s. The seminar will spotlight this group: their influence on unions, industry, the economy, education, and international relations. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Speaking, Writing
In-depth discussion of primary sources, conduct original research, write major research essay.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS HIST |
| Course Format: Lecture | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
Major Readings:
Selections from:
John Dunlop, Frederick Harbison, Clark Kerr, and Charles A. Myers, INDUSTRIALISM AND INDUSTRIAL MAN
John T. Dunlop, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS SYSTEMS
Clark Kerr, THE USES OF THE UNIVERSITY
Michael V. Miller and Susan Gilmore, ed., REVOLUTION AT BERKELEY
Don Oberdorfer, FROM THE COLD WAR TO A NEW ERA: THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION,
1983-1991
Marc Linden, WARS ON ATTRITION: VIETNAM, THE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE, AND THE DECLINE OF THE CONSTRUCTION UNIONS
Hugh Rockoff, DRASTIC MEASURES: A HISTORY OF WAGE AND PRICE CONTROLS IN THE UNITED STATES
Joshua B. Freeman, WORKING-CLASS NEW YORK: LIFE AND LABOR SINCE WORLD WAR II
W.K. Barger and Ernesto Rezo, THE FARM LABOR MOVEMENT IN THE MIDWEST and other articles, excerpts of books, Congressional readings, newspaper stories, and other primary documents.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly lists of discussion questions; research proposal, draft, and final research essay |
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