Pros And Cons Of The Fair Labour Standards Act Of 1938

On June 25, 1938, Congress passed a bill meant to limit the maximum number of hours a person could be expected/made to work, as well as the minimum wages they could be paid. Known as the Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA), it was the last major piece of New Deal legislation. Basically, the U.S. Department of Labor administered the FLSA, with Frances Perkins, the Secretary of Labor, leading the effort. They set the maximum workweek at 44 hours and the minimum hourly wage at 25 cents for employees that specifically manufactured products that were shipped in interstate commerce. In addition to this, the FLSA set the requirements for overtime and they restricted child labor.

They also had better eating and toilet facilities and lowered the number of working hours for women and children. These laws made working conditions safer for everyone for years to

Overall, the New Deal was very significant and far reaching with regards to the workers as not only did working conditions improve, but business owners were also held accountable for pay and treatment of workers. Despite this the far-reaching nature of the New Deal was hampered by the lack of positive, significant changes for unskilled

After years of judicial opposition and close two years of congressional quarrel, on June 25, 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Fair Standard Act (FLSA). President Roosevelt describes the Act as “the most far-reaching, far-sighted program for the benefit of workers ever adopted in this or any other country." () Before the passage of the Fair Standard Act there were multiple efforts on the state level to restrict hours of work and set minimum wages. In 1840, the longer existing National Trade Union convinced President Van Buren to make an executive order restricting a 10 hour government work day. The National Labor Union made making the 8 hour work week a priority after the civil war had ended.

Another thing that went on at that time was regulation. This was where the government would help workers over their bosses in large companies. The pure

The Wagner Act –also known as the National Labor Relations Act- was a New Deal reform that was passed by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935. It was a great tool in preventing employers from messing with workers’ unions and protests in the private sector. This act made a foundation for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to protect the rights of workers for them to organize, bargain collectively, and strikes. In 1930, millions of workers belonged to labor unions.

This law created the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). It was pro-union and helped workers negotiate through collective bargaining or the process of getting better wages, hours, working conditions through your union instead of separately3. It was a milestone of the U.S. labor movement. Along the same lines, the Fair Labor Standards Act established a minimum wages and maximum number of hours people in interstate commerce industries could work. It also outlawed children under the age of sixteen being able to work3.

This included reform laws regarding child labor and workers compensation, safety in the workplace,

After the expiration of this act, President Roosevelt extended to “protect children, to enforce minimum wages, to prevent excessive hours… while retaining fair competition” (Roosevelt, “Fireside Chat 1933” 3). The National Industrial Recovery Act’s primary goal was to establish a good work environment for industrial workers and to limit industrial competition. This act protected the lower class immensely, because they were finally receiving rights that protected them. Additionally, this act also place limits on the rich because it forbade unfair practices that only benefited them and not the lower class. This act helped Americans surpass the Great Depression because it allowed businesses to recover by limiting competition, which reduced unemployment rates since people were able to get jobs with fair wages and hours.

How to best fix this corrupt system of labor was a great debate. The first major leap in the right direction was the creation of minimum wage laws, the regulation of working hours, and the prohibition of child labor. These laws clapped down on Gilded Age ideas by ensuring that owners would no longer exploit workers and maintain fair working conditions. Furthermore, worker compensation laws required employers to compensate employees who became injured or ill while on the job. This law helped to provide workers with greater financial security and protection.

The conditions were dangerous as fingers were cut off and people got black lung. The Social Gospel saw the working conditions were poor so they wanted reform. With better working conditions, more people would continue to work or encourage others to work as well. More people working for better conditions could allow more products to be produced. The Hepburn Act was created in 1906 for railroad workers to have a rate that was established so

The book "Comparative Perspectives on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era" by Ballard Campbell discusses the reforms that were put in place to regulate business and industry, protect workers and consumers, and promote social justice. These included the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the creation of labor laws and unions. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was one of the first major pieces of legislation aimed at breaking up monopolies and promoting fair competition. Other regulations were put in place to protect workers and consumers, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

They saw the economy as an interdependent system in which the well-being of workers was essential for the overall health of society. Progressives wanted to drastically reduce the power of large corporations and ensure that workers were treated fairly and justly. Some examples of the Progressive movement's goals can be seen in the way laws were passed by Congress and local and state governments. For one instance, the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act were passed to ensure that the food and drug industries were controlled and that consumers weren't harmed by harmful products. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established a minimum wage, and maximum workweek, and prohibited the employment of children under the age of 16 in perilous occupations.

The Adamson Act established the 8 hour workday for railroad workers. Workers worked less and were more safer because of these reforms. Reformers also advocated for legislation regulation on child labor. There became a requirement for minimum age for kids to work. This allowed more kids to get enrolled in school.

Child labor was a great concern in the Industrial revolution but very few people did something to stop it. Women and Children were forced to work more than 10 hours a day with only forty minutes to have lunch. Elizabeth Bentley once said that they didn’t have any time to have breakfast or drink anything during the day. They worked standing up and if they didn’t do their work on time they were strapped (whipped). Children were treating like they were not important, like they didn’t deserve a better life.