The concept of wage-push inflation: development and policy

Concepts of wage-push inflation and wage-price spirals arose after unions became important economic actors in the 1930s and during World War II. These concepts, although never rigorously defined, became the basis of the Kennedy-Johnson guideposts program. Even after the guideposts collapsed, there were attempts to constrain wage-push directly under Nixon and Carter. Thereafter, when union membership collapsed, concerns about wage-push by aggressive unions became implausible in the USA.