author
Selig Perlman
1888–1959
A pioneering labor economist and historian, he helped shape how scholars understand trade unions in the United States. His writing focused on why workers organize and how unions grow, making him an important voice in twentieth-century labor studies.
1 Audiobook
A History of Trade Unionism in the United States
by Selig Perlman
About the author
Born in Białystok, then part of the Russian Empire, Selig Perlman emigrated to the United States and went on to become an economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin. He became closely associated with the Wisconsin school of labor history and industrial relations, where his teaching and research left a lasting mark on the field.
Perlman is best known for A Theory of the Labor Movement (1928), a book that became one of the classic studies of American unionism. Rather than treating labor movements mainly as revolutionary forces, he emphasized the everyday economic interests, job security concerns, and practical goals that shaped union activity.
He also contributed to the broader study of American labor history through his work with other Wisconsin scholars, including John R. Commons. Even when later historians debated his ideas, Perlman remained a central figure in the development of labor economics and labor history in the United States.