John Thomas Dunlop

Jtdunlop

John Thomas Dunlop (July 5, 1914 – October 2, 2003) was an American economist and labor relations expert. He served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1975 to 1976 under President Gerald Ford. Dunlop was a prominent figure in the field of industrial relations and made significant contributions to the understanding of labor markets and wage determination.

Early Life and Education

John T. Dunlop was born in Placerville, California. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1935 and his Ph.D. in economics from the same institution in 1939. His doctoral dissertation focused on the economics of labor markets, which laid the foundation for his future work in the field.

Academic Career

Dunlop began his academic career at Harvard University in 1938, where he became a full professor in 1950. He was a key figure in the development of the Harvard Trade Union Program, which aimed to educate labor leaders and improve labor-management relations. Dunlop's research and teaching focused on collective bargaining, labor market institutions, and the role of government in labor relations.

Government Service

Dunlop's expertise in labor relations led to his appointment as the United States Secretary of Labor in 1975. During his tenure, he worked on various labor policy issues, including wage and price controls, labor standards, and employment policies. He also played a significant role in mediating labor disputes and promoting cooperative labor-management relations.

Contributions to Industrial Relations

Dunlop is best known for his work on the Dunlop Commission, which was established to study and make recommendations on labor-management relations in the United States. The commission's report, published in 1994, emphasized the importance of cooperative labor-management relations and the need for reforms to improve the effectiveness of labor laws and institutions.

Later Life and Legacy

After leaving government service, Dunlop continued to be active in the field of industrial relations. He served as a consultant to various organizations and continued to write and lecture on labor issues. Dunlop's contributions to the field of labor relations have had a lasting impact, and he is remembered as one of the leading figures in the study of labor markets and industrial relations.

Selected Works

• Industrial Relations Systems (1958)
• Labor in the American Economy (1966)
• The Theory of Wage Determination (1971)

See Also

• Industrial relations
• Collective bargaining
• Labor market
• United States Secretary of Labor