St Louis Labor Department

The Bill Establishing The Department Of Labor Was Signed On March 4, 1913, By President William Howard Taft, The Defeated And Departing Incumbent Just Hours Before Woodrow Wilson Took Office. Although Taft Had Misgivings About Creating A New Cabinet-Level Department, He Realized That The New Congress And New President Would Surely Reenact It If He Did Apply A Veto. A Federal Department Was The Direct Product Of A Half-Century Campaign By Organized Labor For A "Voice In The Cabinet." Also, The Department Was An Indirect Product Of The Progressive Movement Of The Early 1900s Which Promoted The Achievement Of Better Working Conditions, Conservation Of Natural Resources And A Host Of Other Goals Through Both Private And Government Action. In The Words Of The Organic Act Establishing The Department Of Labor, Its Main Purpose Is "To Foster, Promote And Develop The Welfare Of Working People, To Improve Their Working Conditions, And To Advance Their Opportunities For Profitable Employment." Economic And Social Conditions Have Changed Constantly Since 1913 And New Statutory Responsibilities Have Greatly Expanded The Departments Scope And Mission. The Succinct Statement In The Organic Act Remains, However, As The Vital Core Of The Departments Activities And The Measuring Rod Against Which Its Accomplishments Should Be Gauged. Initially The Department Consisted Of Four Preexisting Bureaus Of The Old Department Of Commerce And Labor. In Addition It Was Authorized To Establish A Conciliation Function To Mediate Labor Disputes. Total Staff Was 2000 With A Budget Of $2.33 Million. The Four Bureaus Were The Bureau Of Labor Statistics, The Bureau Of Immigration, The Bureau Of Naturalization And The Childrens Bureau. The Bureau Of Labor Statistics Was A Well-Established Organization Created In 1884 To Collect Social And Economic Statistics And Report On Matters Affecting Working People. The Bureau Of Immigration, Employing 1700 Persons, Administered Laws Relating To Aliens And, Of Special Importance To The New Department, Included A Division Of Information That Helped Immigrants Find Jobs. The Bureau Of Naturalization Administered Laws For The Naturalization Of Aliens Through The Courts. The Childrens Bureau, Established In 1912, Investigated And Reported On Matters Related To The Health And Welfare Of Children. Woodrow Wilsons Appointee As The First Secretary Of Labor Was William B. Wilson (No Relation), Secretary-Treasurer Of The United Mine Workers Of America And Later A Congressman Who Led The Legislative Drive That Created The Department Of Labor. In His First Annual Report Secretary Wilson Enunciated A Philosophy Echoed In Various Forms By Many Secretaries Since, Namely That: The Department Was Created "In The Interest Of The Wage Earners", But It Must Be Administered In Fairness To Labor, Business And The Public At Large. After Initially Being Somewhat Less Than Impartial Toward Organized Labor, And Paying A Heavy Political Price For It, Wilson Made This Philosophy The Working Policy Of The Department. Under Wilsons Leadership The Bureaus Functioned Autonomously And Effectively And The Department Focused Most Of Its Remaining Resources On The Conciliation Function. The Secretary Organized A Small Conciliation Service Within His Own Office. Hindered By Lack Of Funds, The Service Got Off To A Slow Start. However, It Built For Itself A Reputation For Competence And Impartiality. Requests To Intervene In Labor Disputes Around The Country Began To Come In, Increasingly So As Labor Disputes Accelerated Around 1915. By 1916 The Congress Began Providing Funding Specifically For Conciliation.
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