Congress As Part Of The Fair Labor Standards Act - 1084 Words

Congress as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) instituted minimum wage back in 1938. The first minimum wage was at $0.25 per hour and the last minimum wage increase occurred in 2007. Over the past 65 years the minimum wage has varied considerably in inflation-adjusted buying power. It has averaged $6.60 an hour in purchasing power in 2013 dollars, but it has ranged from a low of $3.09 an hour in late 1948 to a high of $8.67 an hour in 1968. Today’s minimum wage buys somewhat more than the minimum wage has historically, although it remains over a dollar an hour below its historical high. In addition to the federal minimum wage, nearly all states within the United States have their own minimum wage laws with the exception of South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Sixteen states have a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage. The first moves to legislate wages did not set minimum wages, rather the laws created arbitration boards and councils to resolve labor conflicts before the recourse to strikes. Minimum wage is raised usually when there is a time of healthy economic growth and low unemployment. In 1990, Congress enacted a minimum wage hike that took effect on April 1 of that year, when unemployment stood at 5.4 percent. Congress voted to raise the minimum wage again in August 1996—when unemployment stood at 5.1 percent. The next vote to raise the minimum wage occurred in May 2007, when unemployment stood at 4.4 percent.Show MoreRelatedThis American (Working) Life1053 Words   |  5 Pagespay (U.S. Cong. Federal Labor). These and other professions are labeled exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act. An exempt profession, when put on a salary, is not protected by the FLSA and can work as many hours as required with no extra compensation. According to a new bill, S. 1747 The Computer Professionals Update Act , legislators would extend these exemptions to other IT professions (27-31). In a time wh en it is hard to find anyone with a good opinion of congress, why would any senator proposeRead MoreEssay on The Minimum Wage Should be Raised1371 Words   |  6 Pagesneed income of some type, were they wanted to make it fair were individual could get pay the same without a college degree. I am going to start off with a little about minimum wages history and how this could help our Economic. In 1892 Federal Government adopt an 8 hour workday and other wages standard for employee. In 1903 Congress create the U.S. Department of Commerce and Labor. In 1933 Congress passes the National Industrial Recovery Act covering private sector wage hour (Congressional Digest)Read MoreThe Federal Government1353 Words   |  6 Pagesto reforming how commerce clause is viewed. Let us take the constitution as a road map. Interpreting its powers has also form how congress uses those same power when it comes to the digression of law making (Legislation branch). In Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), United States v. E.C. Knight Company (1895), Muller v. Oregon (1908), Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), National Labor Relations Board v. Jones Laughlin Steel Corp. (1937), and Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc. v. United States et al. (1964), I will illustrateRead MoreChild Labor Laws In the 1800s1462 Words   |  6 PagesChild Labor Laws In The 1800s Child Labor, once known as the practice of employing young children in factories, now its used as a term for the employment of minors in general, especially in work that would interfere with their education or endanger their health. Throughout history and in all cultures children would work in the fields with their parents, or in the marketplace and young girls in the home until they were old enough to perform simple tasks. The use of child labor was not a problemRead MoreThe National Industrial Recovery Act1061 Words   |  5 PagesNational Industrial Recovery Act. Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Detroit: Gale, 1999. Student Resources in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. Gale Encyclopedia of U.S Economic History over the past 17 years has been covering the story of the National Industrial Recovery Act. The Book National Industrial Recovery Act talks about President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s initial New Deal Programs, National Industrial Recovery Act was the centerpiece of his programsRead MoreEssay on New Deal774 Words   |  4 Pagesfirst term. In a desperate attempt to solving the woes of the American population, FDR and his Congress passed more bills than any other president-congressional combination as ever done in their first impression time period. FDR’s domestic policy, known more widely as the New Deal, was intended to be a group of innovative measures to counteract the effects of the Great Depression. Roosevelt and the U.S. Congress, trying to reduce unemployment, restore prosperity and return a sense of morale to AmericanRead MoreThe Amendment And The Congressional Apportionment Amendment1285 Words   |  6 Pagesamendments t hat have made their way through the congress since first the constitution was instated. A few, however, never made it into the United States constitution. There were six amendments that were never ratified into the constitution. Some were justified in their reasons for not being ratified, but then there are some which to this day no one quite understands why they were not ratified into the constitution. In Americans attempt to be a fair and just country, its government made many differentRead MoreGibbons V Ogden ( 1824 )1007 Words   |  5 Pagessince his right to operate a steamboat on that route was protected by an act of Congress. According to Chief Justice Marshall, since interstate commerce includes navigation through a generally accepted understanding of the word â€Å"commerce†, the act of Congress was constitutional. To quote Chief Justice Marshall, he also argued that â€Å"Commerce†¦ is intercourse. It describes the commercial intercourse between nations, and parts of nations†¦ The mind can scarcely conceive a system for regulating commerce†¦Read MoreFDR’s Alphabet Soup1158 Words   |  5 Pagessummer of 1933, job recovery was still a major part of ending the Great Depression. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) and the National Recovery Administration (NRA) was the largest piece of industrial recovery and regulations during the time period. FDR stated, â€Å"Its object is to put industry and business workers into employment and increase their purchasing power through increased wages.† It did abundantly more than that. It also ended child labor, sweat shops, and lowered weekly wages in theRead MoreThe Progressive Era Of The United States994 Words   |  4 Pagesthe passing of labor laws, anti-trust laws, unionization for important industries and the introduction of four new amendments in the constitution. Children have been servants throughout human history. Employers were taking advantage of children by making them work very long days and work in dangerous conditions. Children laborers also lacked an education due to the long hours they worked. Children worked to help support families but yet got very little pay. Reformers and labor organizers wanted