Charles A. Myers (1913–2000)

This chapter reviews the career of Professor Charles (Charlie) Myers. Myers received his PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1939 and then served as a faculty member in the MIT Economics Department. In 1964, he joined the faculty of the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he served as director of the Industrial Relations Section until his retirement in 1980. Myers’ early career research focused on a variety of labour market issues, including unemployment compensation, labour mobility and wage determination. He also became a major contributor to the fields of industrial relations and personnel management, industrialisation and economic development, and the role of computers in management. Myers served in a wide variety of governmental roles dealing with collective bargaining and manpower policy, and was an active labour arbitrator and member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. He served as president of the Industrial Relations Research Association in 1962. The trademark features of Myers’ work were his constant emphasis on the dignity and respect for workers and their well-being, a recognition of the legitimacy and value of unions, and the need for effective and equitable personnel management policies and practices.