author
Selig Perlman
1888–1959
An influential labor economist and historian, he helped shape how generations of readers understood American trade unionism. Much of his career was spent at the University of Wisconsin, where his work connected economic ideas to the everyday realities of workers and unions.
1 Audiobook
A History of Trade Unionism in the United States
by Selig Perlman
About the author
Born in Bialystok in 1888, when the city was part of the Russian Empire, he later emigrated to the United States and built his academic life at the University of Wisconsin. He became known as both an economist and a labor historian, with a long career centered on the study of unions, workers, and industrial society.
His writing focused on the history and character of the labor movement in the United States. He is especially remembered for influential work on trade unionism and for helping establish the Wisconsin school of labor history and labor economics.
Beyond his scholarship, he also played a role in university life outside the classroom: UW Credit Union notes that he signed the 1931 charter establishing the institution and served as the first president of its board. He died in 1959.