The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 75, July 1971 - April, 1972 Page: 139
566 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Some Reflections on Labor History
between theory and policy. Those who adopt sound policies on the
basis of unsound theories do so by mere chance. Moreover, every
remedial suggestion is based on an implicit or explicit theory of the
basic causes of the problem. Since many implicit theories are shown
to be unsound when they are exposed to careful scrutiny, it clearly
is important to make as much theory explicit as possible.
One of the most important needs in studying labor history, there-
fore, is the development of a theory of labor organization. John T.
Dunlop, one of America's leading labor economists, has developed a
theoretical framework which this writer has found to be useful. In a
quotation from Talcott Parsons, Dunlop emphasizes that "facts do
not tell their own story; they must be cross-examined. They must be
carefully analyzed, systematized, compared and interpreted." Writing
in 1948, Dunlop thought that many theories of labor movements were
"conjured out of inner consciousness with only occasional and con-
venient reference to the past," while "under the caption of 'history of
labor' are chronicled what purport to be collections of facts and
sequences of fact."'
He concludes, "The 'history' and 'theory' of the labor movement
can have little meaning in isolation. But it is particularly the failure
of theoretical apparatus that accounts for the lack of greater under-
standing of the development of the labor movement and the paucity
of significant research.""
Dunlop outlines four questions which have been the concern of
those investigating labor movements:
(1) How is one to account for the origin or emergence of labor
organizations?
(2) What explains the pattern of growth and development of
labor organizations?
(3) What are the ultimate goals of the labor movement?
(4) Why do individual workers join labor organizations?'
An adequate theory of the labor movement might answer all of these
questions as well as provide much better understanding of the inter-
actions between unions and other institutions.
'John T. Dunlop, "The Development of Labor Organization: A Theoretical Frame-
work" in Richard A. Lester and Joseph Shister (eds.), Insights into Labor Issues (New
York, 1948), 163-193; John T. Dunlop, Industrial Relations Systems (New York, 1958);
'Thlcott Parsons, The Structure of Social Action (New York, 1937), 698. The Parsons quote
is used in Dunlop, "The Development of Labor Organization," 163.
, Dunlop, "The Development of Labor Organization," 163.
'Ibid., 164-165.139
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 75, July 1971 - April, 1972, periodical, 1972; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101201/m1/151/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.