United States 1938

Synopsis

The Wages and Hours Act, later known as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), was passed on 25 June 1938. The act made it the U.S. government's responsibility to set a minimum wage. Though the law set a relatively low initial minimum wage of 25 cents an hour, it provided for increases up to 40 cents an hour by 1945. The act also banned child labor in all businesses engaged in interstate commerce. It established a 44-hour workweek and mandated the 40-hour week by 23 October 1940. Beyond these minimum hours, the bill institutionalized overtime payments for additional hours worked. The law did not cover workers in the public sector or those in agriculture and service industries. As a result it favored workers employed in larger businesses and excluded large numbers of women and minorities.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt considered the FLSA among the most...