University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

George W. Taylor (1901-1972) was a professor at Wharton for over 30 years. During that time, he became an influential expert in the field of industrial relations, including arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution. This collection is composed of materials relating to the many cases on which he served as a board member, arbitrator or adviser. The numerous letters of commendations, awards and other praise are preserved here as well. Very little in this collection relates to his equally long and important career as a professor at Wharton.

This collection primarily contains material relating to contract negotiations between General Electric (GE) and the International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE) and the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), and the resulting case before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Northrup used this material to examine GE's employee relations policies and the implications of Boulwarism for two articles and a subsequent book. Also included in the collection is a box of personal and financial correspondence belonging to Lemuel R. Boulware and Northrup's business correspondence when he worked in the private sector as a consultant, as well as his time at GE.