In other words, which presidents can we -- ahem -- blame?
George and Abe say, "Don't look at us."
Just kidding. In honor of President's Day, I thought it might be fun to review which presidents were responsible for the federal labor and employment laws we all know and love. These laws were enacted in the 20th and 21st centuries, starting with Franklin Roosevelt. (Well, except the Railway Labor Act, which was signed into law by Calvin Coolidge in 1926.) Instead of going in chronological order, I'll rank our presidents from least activist to most activist, employment-law-wise. Some of the rankings may surprise you.
Please note that my characterizations below apply only to the Presidents' degree of employment-law-related activism -- and don't necessarily reflect my opinion of their overall performance in office.
I got nuthin':
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
One-hit wonders:
John F. Kennedy. He signed the Equal Pay Act into law, which prohibits pay discrimination based on sex. That was it, but of course there is no telling what he might have done if he been able to have a full term in office.
Richard Nixon. He signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act into law in 1970.
Ronald Reagan. President Reagan signed into law the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers to give employees 60 days' notice of a plant closing or "mass layoff."
George H.W. Bush Sr. The elder Bush is responsible for the Americans with...
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