Raising the Minimum Wage
The Renewed Debate Over Fair Labor Standards
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, he called it “the most far-reaching, far-sighted program for the benefit of workers ever adopted in this or any other country.” The Act provided sweeping regulations to protect American workers from exploitation in sweatshops and factories — including workplace protection provisions and a ban on child labor — and created a mandatory Federal minimum wage of 25 cents an hour to maintain “a minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency, and general well-being, without substantially curtailing employment.” FLSA was welcomed by workers and labor activists…
