ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author pursues the trade unionism through the lens of history. His purpose for this review is partly to provide an historical perspective to the subject of unions and labor policy that is largely omitted by Richard Freeman and James Medoff in What Do Unions Do ? The concept of “labor problems” is seldom encountered in the modern economics literature but is crucial to understanding why the early institutional economists supported trade unions and expanded collective bargaining. Unions vary considerably in their aims and how they achieve them. It was observed, first, that unions vary considerably in their aims and how they achieve them. Second, they conceived of collective bargaining as a method of market and workplace rule making and regulation. Finally, the early institutionalists also emphasized the valuable role of unions in giving working people a voice and representation in the larger political process of the nation.
