David J. Saposs
Encyclopedia
David Joseph Saposs was an American economist, historian, and civil servant. He is best known for being the chief economist of the National Labor Relations Board
from 1935 to 1940.
in the Russian Empire
. His parents were Isaac Saposnik, a peddler, and Shima Erevsky Saposnik. In 1895, the family emigrated to the United States and shortened their name to Saposs. The Jewish family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. David quit school in the fifth grade and worked in beer breweries
in his teens to help support his family. In 1906, at the age of 20, he was elected shop steward for the local brewery workers' union
.
Although he lacked a high school diploma, Saposs was admitted in 1907 to the University of Wisconsin (UW). He graduated in 1911, and enrolled part-time in the graduate program at UW. He enrolled full-time beginning in 1913, and graduated with a Ph.D.
in economics
in 1915. While in the doctoral program at Wisconsin, Saposs was a student of the nationally known labor economist John R. Commons
and a close friend of fellow student Selig Perlman
(who later became a nationally known labor economist in his own right).
for the Carnegie Corporation, investigated the Steel strike of 1919
on behalf of the Inter-Church World Movement Commission, and was Educational Director for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union.
In 1922, Saposs was appointed an instructor at Brookwood Labor College
, but left after two years to do post-graduate work in economics and labor history at Columbia University
. While at Columbia, he became close friends with William M. Leiserson, who would later be a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB). He ended his post-graduate work at Columbia after two years without obtaining an additional degree. Columbia University was embarking on a major study of socio-economic conditions in France, and asked Saposs to lead the study of labor conditions there. Saposs agreed to do so, and moved to France to conduct the study for the next two years.
In 1924, Saposs became research director for the Twentieth Century Fund
's newly founded labor unit.
, which held in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation
, 301 U.S. 1 (1938) that the National Labor Relations Act
(NLRA) was constitutional. However, Saposs' tenure at the NLRB proved short. Although it had once supported the NLRA, the American Federation of Labor
(AFL; which supported craft unionism
) became convinced that the Board and its staff (including Saposs) were more supportive of the industrial unionism
of its competitor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations
. The AFL allied with anti-union Democratic
Representative
Howard W. Smith
to attack the National Labor Relations Board. Saposs was a leader among anti-communist leftists. He had even been surreptitiously assessed by members of the Communist Party USA
for membership, and rejected as a prospect. He had also tried to expose those individuals at the Board who he felt were communists. But Smith and others attacked Saposs as a communist, and the United States Congress
defunded his division and his job on October 11, 1940.
Saposs was immediately hired by Republican
Nelson Rockefeller
to be a consultant on labor issues in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, an office in the White House
. He left that position in 1945 to become Chief of Statistics in the Manpower Division of the Office of Military Government, United States
, in post-World War II Germany. He left that position after a year to become Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Labor Statistics in the United States Department of Labor
. But again, his tenure in the role proved short. He was given a leave of absence in 1948 to become Special Advisor to the European Labor Division of the Economic Cooperation Administration
. He returned to his old position on the Labor Statistics branch in 1952, retiring from government service in 1954.
for two years and a visiting professor for a year at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In 1959, he was appointed Professor of American and International Labor in the School of International Service
at American University
in Washington, D.C.
Saposs retired from American University in 1965. He died at his home in Washington, D.C., from a stroke
on November 13, 1968. His wife and two daughters survived him.
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent agency of the United States government charged with conducting elections for labor union representation and with investigating and remedying unfair labor practices. Unfair labor practices may involve union-related situations or instances of...
from 1935 to 1940.
Early life
David Saposnik was born on February 22, 1886, in the city of KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. His parents were Isaac Saposnik, a peddler, and Shima Erevsky Saposnik. In 1895, the family emigrated to the United States and shortened their name to Saposs. The Jewish family settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. David quit school in the fifth grade and worked in beer breweries
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in his teens to help support his family. In 1906, at the age of 20, he was elected shop steward for the local brewery workers' union
International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers
The International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers was an labor union in the United States. The union merged with the Teamsters in 1973.-Early history:...
.
Although he lacked a high school diploma, Saposs was admitted in 1907 to the University of Wisconsin (UW). He graduated in 1911, and enrolled part-time in the graduate program at UW. He enrolled full-time beginning in 1913, and graduated with a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in 1915. While in the doctoral program at Wisconsin, Saposs was a student of the nationally known labor economist John R. Commons
John R. Commons
John Rogers Commons was an American institutional economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Biography:Born in Hollansburg, Ohio, John R. Commons had a religious upbringing which led him to be an advocate for social justice early in life...
and a close friend of fellow student Selig Perlman
Selig Perlman
Selig Perlman was an economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Early life and education:Perlman was born in Białystok in Congress Poland in 1888...
(who later became a nationally known labor economist in his own right).
Early work
Saposs worked in a variety of positions over the next few years. He was an accident prevention investigator for the New York Department of Labor, an investigator into the role immigrants played in American labor unionsTrade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for the Carnegie Corporation, investigated the Steel strike of 1919
Steel strike of 1919
The Steel Strike of 1919 was an attempt by the weakened Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers to organize the United States steel industry in the wake of World War I. The strike began on September 22, 1919, and collapsed on January 8, 1920.The AA had formed in 1876. It was a...
on behalf of the Inter-Church World Movement Commission, and was Educational Director for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union.
In 1922, Saposs was appointed an instructor at Brookwood Labor College
Brookwood Labor College
Brookwood Labor College was the first residential labor college in the United States. The school was established in 1921 near Katonah, New York. The school was closely supported by affiliate unions of the American Federation of Labor until 1928, when pressure began to be exerted by the AF of L's...
, but left after two years to do post-graduate work in economics and labor history at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. While at Columbia, he became close friends with William M. Leiserson, who would later be a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NRLB). He ended his post-graduate work at Columbia after two years without obtaining an additional degree. Columbia University was embarking on a major study of socio-economic conditions in France, and asked Saposs to lead the study of labor conditions there. Saposs agreed to do so, and moved to France to conduct the study for the next two years.
In 1924, Saposs became research director for the Twentieth Century Fund
The Century Foundation
The Century Foundation is an US progressive think tank. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy research institution on the belief that the prosperity and security of the United States depends on a mix of effective government, open democracy, and free markets. The Foundation is headquartered...
's newly founded labor unit.
NLRB and other federal positions
Saposs left the Twentieth Century Fund to become Chief Economist of the newly established National Labor Relations Board in 1935. Saposs quickly built a staff, and began collecting information on the role labor unions played in interstate commerce and the social and economic impacts unions had. The research conducted under Saposs' leadership proved critical to winning over the Supreme Court of the United StatesSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, which held in National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, 301 U.S. 1 , was a United States Supreme Court case that declared that the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was constitutional...
, 301 U.S. 1 (1938) that the National Labor Relations Act
National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act , is a 1935 United States federal law that limits the means with which employers may react to workers in the private sector who create labor unions , engage in collective bargaining, and take part in strikes and other forms of concerted activity in...
(NLRA) was constitutional. However, Saposs' tenure at the NLRB proved short. Although it had once supported the NLRA, the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
(AFL; which supported craft unionism
Craft unionism
Craft unionism refers to organizing a union in a manner that seeks to unify workers in a particular industry along the lines of the particular craft or trade that they work in by class or skill level...
) became convinced that the Board and its staff (including Saposs) were more supportive of the industrial unionism
Industrial unionism
Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union—regardless of skill or trade—thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations...
of its competitor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
. The AFL allied with anti-union Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Howard W. Smith
Howard W. Smith
Howard Worth Smith , Democratic U.S. Representative from Virginia, was a leader of the conservative coalition who supported both racial segregation and women's rights.-Early life and education:...
to attack the National Labor Relations Board. Saposs was a leader among anti-communist leftists. He had even been surreptitiously assessed by members of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
for membership, and rejected as a prospect. He had also tried to expose those individuals at the Board who he felt were communists. But Smith and others attacked Saposs as a communist, and the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
defunded his division and his job on October 11, 1940.
Saposs was immediately hired by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
to be a consultant on labor issues in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, an office in the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. He left that position in 1945 to become Chief of Statistics in the Manpower Division of the Office of Military Government, United States
Office of Military Government, United States
The Office of Military Government, United States was the United States military-established government created shortly after the end of hostilities in occupied Germany in World War II. Under General Lucius D...
, in post-World War II Germany. He left that position after a year to become Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Labor Statistics in the United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
. But again, his tenure in the role proved short. He was given a leave of absence in 1948 to become Special Advisor to the European Labor Division of the Economic Cooperation Administration
Economic Cooperation Administration
The Economic Cooperation Administration was a United States government agency set up in 1948 to administer the Marshall Plan. It reported to both the State Department and the Department of Commerce. The agency's head was Paul G. Hoffman, a former head of Studebaker. Much of the rest of the...
. He returned to his old position on the Labor Statistics branch in 1952, retiring from government service in 1954.
Academic career and death
In retirement, Saposs became an educator. He was a researcher at the Littauer Center for Public Administration at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
for two years and a visiting professor for a year at the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
UIUC Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations
The School of Labor and Employment Relations is a graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Founded in 1946, the school is the second oldest labor and industrial relations school in the nation...
at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In 1959, he was appointed Professor of American and International Labor in the School of International Service
School of International Service
The School of International Service is American University's school of advanced international study in the areas of international politics, international communication, development, international economic relations, peace and conflict resolution, global environmental politics, and U.S...
at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Saposs retired from American University in 1965. He died at his home in Washington, D.C., from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on November 13, 1968. His wife and two daughters survived him.