Fair Labor Standards Act

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Updated: Sep. 05, 2024

<a href=How Chinese immigrants built the Transcontinental Railroad" />

Pacific Railway Acts

Table Of Contents

also called: Wages and Hours Act Participants: United States Key People: Frances Perkins Thomas G. Corcoran Recent News Sep. 5, 2024, 10:42 AM UTC ( Taipei Times ) MOL, New Taipei heads censured for negligence

Fair Labor Standards Act, the first act in the United States prescribing nationwide compulsory federal regulation of wages and hours, sponsored by Sen. Robert F. Wagner of New York and signed on June 14, 1938, effective October 24. The law, applying to all industries engaged in interstate commerce, established a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour for the first year, to be increased to 40 cents within seven years. No worker was obliged to work, without compensation at overtime rates, more than 44 hours a week during the first year, 42 the second year, and 40 thereafter.