an executive department of the United States government which administers and enforces laws that seek to promote the welfare of U.S. wage earners, to improve their working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for employment

Functions

The Department of Labor administers federal laws on child labor, equal pay, minimum wages, overtime, and public contracts. It develops standards and policies for promoting the welfare of workers. It carries out federal laws on workers' compensation programs, and handles appeals from federal workers regarding compensation. It develops apprenticeship standards for the training of skilled workers. It also administers laws dealing with the election of labor union officers and with union financial reports, and regulates private pension and welfare plans.

The Department of Labor also serves as the government's chief fact-finding agency in loabor economics. It collects, analyzes, and publishes information on employment and unemployment, industrial relations, occupational safety and health, price trends, productivity and technology, wages, family budgets, and economic trends and labor conditions. It protects the safety and health of workers by enforcing standards it develops. It also develops standards in the areas of labor laws and administration, and administers the public employment service and unemployment insurance programs.

Organization

The Department of Labor is headed by the Secretary of Labor, who is appointed by the President upon consent of the Senate. The Secretary establishes policies for the department and is the President's chief adviser on labor matters. The department itself consists of various administrations and bureaus, as listed below:

Employment and Training Administration
Women's Bureau
Veterans' Employment and Training Service
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Employment Standards Administration
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Employee Benefits Security Administration
Bureau of Labor Statistics

History

On June 27, 1884, Congress established a Bureau of Labor in the Department of the Interior. In 1888, Congress gave the bureau independent status as the Department of Labor, but is head did not serve in the President's Cabinet. On February 14, 1903, Congress established the new Department of Commerce and Labor, and made the Department of Labor a bureau in it. On March 4, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law creating an independent Department of Labor. The department was the first Cabinet office to have a woman as its head, when Frances Perkins became Secretary of Labor in 1933.

Secretaries of Labor
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The official website of the U.S. Department of Labor is www.dol.gov

SEE ALSO
President Woodrow Wilson
Frances Perkins

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This page was last updated on June 27, 2017.