Nathan Shefferman was a trained psychologist who studied many theories that were on the fringe of behavioral science, including phrenology and character analysis. He served as head of the National Labor Board in Philadelphia, where he made contacts with several corporate executives. From 1935 to 1948, Shefferman worked as a labor relations manager for Sears, Roebuck and Company to halt union organizers' efforts, a job he continued after founding his anti-union consulting firm, Labor Relations Associates (LRA), in Chicago in 1939. Using psychological techniques, the firm would isolate pro-union employees and promote anti-union sentiment throughout the workplace. Shefferman would also act as an intermediary for companies to bribe union leaders with merchandise, money and the promise of not being labeled as a communist at the height of McCarthyism. This led to his subpoena during a Senate investigation of Teamsters officer Dave Beck, and a later investigation of LRA by the Senate committee studying management abuses. During the investigation, most of Shefferman's clients and staff deserted him and formed other firms. Although he was not convicted of any wrongdoing due to loopholes in labor law, Shefferman's lasting legacy was that he trained many of the anti-union agents that operated into the 1990s.
From the description of Jared Day collection on Nathan W. Shefferman, 1950s-1999. (University of Pittsburgh). WorldCat record id: 652944292
