Which U.S. cabinet department, created in 1913, focuses on workers’ rights and working conditions?
Answer
Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor, created in 1913, focuses on workers’ rights and working conditions.
President William Howard Taft signed the legislation creating the department shortly before leaving office, and President Woodrow Wilson appointed William Bauchop Wilson as its first secretary. The department was established to give labor issues a stronger voice within the federal government.
Its responsibilities include workplace safety, wages and hours, unemployment insurance, employment statistics, and enforcement of several federal labor laws. The department also administers programs connected with apprenticeships and job training.
The Department of Labor is not the same as the National Labor Relations Board. The department is a cabinet agency, while the NLRB is an independent federal agency that administers major parts of U.S. labor-relations law.