United States [1938]

Also known as: Wages and Hours Act

Written byNancy Ashburn

Fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

•Article History

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also called:

Wages and Hours Act

Date:

1938

Participants:

United States

Key People:

Frances Perkins

Thomas G. Corcoran

Recent News

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Before 1938, workers could be paid any amount and be required to work any number of hours. Children were regularly employed in dangerous jobs and were kept out of school to work. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) set minimum standards that are still in effect today to prevent these abuses.

The FLSA was the first act in the United States to prescribe nationwide compulsory federal regulation of wages and hours. It was sponsored by Sen. Robert F. Wagner of New York and signed on June 14, 1938, effective October 24.

Key Points

• The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 regulated child labor, set the federal minimum wage, and required overtime pay for certain workers.
• The FLSA classifies workers as exempt from overtime rules (salaried workers) or nonexempt (hourly wage earners who must be paid overtime).
• Under the FLSA, nonexempt employees are entitled to 1 times their regular pay for any hours worked more than 40 a week.

What is the Fair Labor Standards Act?

The FLSA was enacted in 1938 to regulate child labor, set a minimum hourly wage, and cap the...

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