March 28, 2018
History of the FLSA
On March 28, ACS and the National Consumers League held a symposium on the 80th Anniversary of the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This panel discussed the political, legal, social, and cultural context that led to the adoption of the FLSA in 1938. In the aftermath of tragedies like the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire, committed activists and politicians, including President Franklin Roosevelt, Francis Perkins, Betsy Margolin, and Florence Kelley, created new legal frameworks to protect American workers and ensure they had safe working conditions and decent wages. Panelists discussed how these figures, and others, contributed to the passage of the FLSA and how its passage changed the American workforce.
Featuring:
Kirstin Downey, Author of The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Francis Perkins Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans and National Consumers League Board Member (Moderator)
Ruben J. Garcia, Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Research and Professor of Law, University of Nevada Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law, ACS Board Member
Robyn Muncy, Professor, University of Maryland Department of History and Author of Creating a Female Dominion in American Reform, 1890-1935
Lynn Rhinehart, General Counsel, AFL-CIO
Marlene Trestman, Author of Fair Labor Lawyer: The Remarkable Life of New Deal Attorney and Supreme Court Advocate Bessie Margolin