Frances Perkins: “Three Decades: A History of the Department of Labor”

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Perkins wrote this article in recognition of the thirtieth anniversary of the Department of Labor and her tenth anniversary as secretary. Although she downplays her achievements in this piece, she relates several changes that she made in the department. Her massive overhaul of what was a rather corrupt government agency is one of her primary accomplishments. The piece was published in the American Federationist, the official magazine for the American Federation of Labor; thus her audience would have welcomed her overall theme of the importance of protecting the well-being of American workers.

In many respects, this is a straightforward history of a government department. But it is clear that Perkins's message is that the mission of the Department of Labor was, from the beginning, to serve the interests of the working American, specifically the union laborer. She states this forcefully in the first paragraph and reiterates it by quoting from the 1913 act that created the department. Although she states that the department has “steadfastly kept in mind the main purpose” described in its founding document, she points out that the actual functions have reflected the “changing concept of the nation's responsibility for the welfare of its workers.” Here Perkins subtly signals that her administration differs markedly from those in the past. Although it is a fact-filled recitation of the department's activities, the rest of the article reflects the way she transformed not only the role of secretary of labor but also the department itself.

Perkins's focus as secretary differed dramatically from her predecessors. Most of the previous secretaries had emphasized immigration problems. The Bureau of Immigration and the Bureau of Naturalization employed a number of corrupt individuals, and the flurry of immigration laws passed in the 1910s and 1920s had effectively slowed the tide of immigration to the country by the time Perkins took the helm. As she says, she combined the two bureaus in 1933; this seemingly minor administrative move actually constituted a major change in the focus of the department and resulted in the forced retirement of several staff members. She also increased immigration agent oversight, reining in mass deportations and curbing abuses.

Perkins reoriented the Department of Labor toward the needs of the worker. Coming from a background as a reformer, she redefined the role of the department, advocating unemployment and old-age insurance, a minimum wage and limitations to work hours, improved working conditions, and the end of child labor. The expansion of the Children's Bureau reflected this reform agenda. Perkins also states that, in recent years, the department has consulted regularly with labor unions, seeking its advice not just on conditions that affect workers but also on “broad social problems confronting the people.” She was renowned for soliciting the input of industrial workers as both a state and federal reformer. In one famous incident, she led thousands of steelworkers to the U.S. Post Office in Homestead, Pennsylvania, after state and company representatives denied the workers the right to meet at their workplace. A photo of the petite Perkins marching a large group of men to a neutral site made national headlines.

Perkins discusses the reorganization of the U.S. Employment Service under the Wagner-Peyser Act. What she does not say is that the revamping of this agency earned her a number of enemies. When she took over the Department of Labor, she instituted a merit system for filling positions, meaning that each job applicant had to meet certain qualifications in terms of education and experience. Her predecessors had filled many positions based on political favoritism; Perkins required a minimum of a high school diploma for the top positions, which disqualified many of the labor leaders and political figures who were in those positions. The rejected applicants were, not surprisingly, angry, but the net effect was that many more unemployed people were placed in jobs, as Perkins deftly notes.

Perkins mentions several other accomplishments of her tenure as secretary. One is the establishment of the Division of Labor Standards in 1934. This entity was the predecessor of today's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which establishes and enforces workplace health and safety codes. Another is the Fair Labor Standards Act, which abolished child labor and established a minimum wage and guaranteed overtime pay. Perkins was instrumental in ensuring the passage of this legislation. Previous labor protections under the National Recovery Act had been eliminated when the Supreme Court ruled the National Recovery Administration unconstitutional, and she was determined to pass a law that would provide permanent protection for workers.

Although Perkins wrote a thirty-year history, she clearly emphasizes the accomplishments of her ten-year service. For her, the Department of Labor was responsible not only for “administering” benefits but also for “promoting social legislation.” She was the first secretary to have such a vision and to pursue her agenda with such success and vigor.