Franklin D. Roosevelt · 1933-1945 term
Establish a federal minimum wage and maximum-hours standard
Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, creating a federal minimum wage and maximum-hours framework even though important exclusions limited the law's reach for many Black workers at the time.
Latest reviewed action recorded: Jun 25, 1938
Record Note
Approved mission-aligned Promise Tracker import. Focused on worker protections, wage standards, and Black economic security with attention to exclusionary implementation limits. Sources are tracked separately in a manual manifest.
Original Promise
Roosevelt pressed for national labor standards including a federal wage floor and maximum-hours rules to stabilize employment conditions during the Depression.
Action Timeline
Actions document what the federal government did. Outcomes below describe what changed, and each source list shows where the public record comes from.
May 24, 1937
Roosevelt urges Congress to pass national wages and hours legislation
Roosevelt publicly pressed for federal labor standards including a wage floor and limits on working hours as part of Depression-era economic reform.
Jun 25, 1938
Roosevelt signs the Fair Labor Standards Act
Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, creating a federal minimum wage and maximum-hours framework.
Outcomes
Outcomes are the part of the record that can contribute to public scoring. They stay visible here with impact direction and linked sources so readers can verify what shaped the record.
Economic Outcome
Roosevelt delivered national wage and hour standards, but the original framework excluded many occupations in which Black workers were heavily concentrated.
Measured or documented impact: The Fair Labor Standards Act created a federal minimum wage and maximum-hours baseline, while leaving major exclusions that limited immediate coverage for many domestic and agricultural workers.
Black community impact: This was highly relevant to Black communities because a federal wage floor and hour protections strengthened labor standards overall, but exclusionary design reduced early benefits for many Black workers.
Evidence strength: Strong
Linked sources: 2
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