This Day in History October 24, 1938

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Well, we finally have some good news to report on a historical event.  It concerns the minimum wage and fair labor standards.  It was on this date in 1938 that the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was signed into law by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It set a minimum wage, overtime requirements, and standards for child labor.  I had not realized that it was an act that came out of the Depression.  While this has been revised several times, the main premises of the act are still intact today.

This act was brought about through several court cases concerning child labor and minimum wage for women.  This is  something that the President worked very hard to pass.  This law was signed by him on June 25, 1938, but it was not until this date that it went into effect.

I find it kind of interesting what exactly the law stated.  For the first year, minimum wage was $.25 per hour.  Within seven years, it had to be raised to $.40.  The first year, no worker was to work for more than 44 hours per week without compensation at overtime rates.  This decreased to 42 the second year and 40 the third year.  Good thing that the minimum age has been raised since then!

If you are interested, there is a lot more information on these sites:
http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/flsa1938.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_6556615_fair-labor-standards-act-1938.html
http://www.unionworkers.com/fair_labor_standards_act.pdf
http://www.history.com/topics/fair-labor-standards-act