Perkins and Labor
When Perkins was nominated as FDR’s Security of Labor, there was resistance against this choice amongst labor leaders around the country. Many unions wanted someone from the labor movement to represent the interests of labor in the country, but FDR felt infighting among union presidents could alienate the union that was not chosen for the position. Others criticized a woman’s role in this position as a woman had never held a cabinet office role before. Despite opposition, FDR chose Perkins for her keen ability to work with opposing groups that made her a neutral unbiased voice in settling disputes. Perkins also could provide Roosevelt with votes from women, a relatively new demographic of voters with the passage of the 19th amendment a decade earlier.
The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was one of the first New Deal initiatives started in 1933 with the passing of the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). The NRA was tasked with bringing industry, labor, and government together to create codes of fair practices, setting prices across industries, establishing a minimum wage for workers, and sought to eliminate child labor. This is something that Perkins had long advocated for. The collapse of labor standards during the Great Depression made some type of government action imperative. Perkins instructed the Labor Department to work with state government to create a body of consistent laws and standards. She set up a Division of Labor Standards and was the first Labor Secretary to show real interest and concern for state labor agencies. She always tried to attend meetings with state representatives and considered these sessions very useful in developing workers’ compensation and safety and health standards. Although, the NRA was popular early on, it was declared unconstitutional by 1935.
Many of the progressive points in the NRA, were later re-established in other New Deal initiatives. The NLRA or Wagner Act was contentious among some unions, but provided workers with the legal right to organize with a union and engage in collective bargaining with their employers. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938 went on to establish maximum hours, minimum wages, and child labor restrictions.
There were many labor initiatives that were successful under Perkins including the Works Progress Administration (WPA) which provided jobs for 8 million people through massive national public works projects and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) recruited about 2 million young men to help with the beautification of public and national parks around the country. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) that Perkins helped establish spent $4 billion for people in need.