Union Exemption: Nonprofit Work and the Boundaries of the Commercial Economy, 1951–1976

John Miles Branch discusses the National Labor Relations Board’s policy to dismiss union petitions at charitable organizations in the decades following the Second World War, and the policy’s reversal in 1976 when the board acknowledged nonprofit institutions as a “third sector” of the economy linked with the nation’s commercial life. Branch is a Ph.D. candidate in U.S. History at Northwestern University and author of the article, “Union Exemption: Nonprofit Work and the Boundaries of the Commercial Economy, 1951–1976.” Related Resources: “Union Exemption: Nonprofit Work and the Boundaries of the Commercial Economy, 1951–1976” Related Collections: Milton Tambor Papers (LP002342) Thelma Bernstein Papers (LP000683) Episode Credits Interviewee: John Miles Branch Producers: Dan Golodner and Troy Eller English Music: Bart Bealmear

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Union Exemption: Nonprofit Work and the Boundaries of the Commercial Economy, 1951–1976 is an episode from Tales from the Reuther Library by Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University.

This episode is 39:41 long.

This episode was published on Oct 9, 2025.

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