She also believed that in the process the rights of the states and of individuals must be strongly upheld. Like Roosevelt, she believed that government has a major role to play in regulating the economic order to promote social justice and human freedom. Perkins was one of the most creative of FDR's counselors, and she had his ear. He surrounded himself with able, creative minds and set out on a flexible and humane program to get the country back on its feet. He spurned both the economic orthodoxy of the Hoover Administration and the wishes of many to see drastic, dictatorial action. President Roosevelt's approach to the problem was both conservative and innovative. Local governments were running out of money for relief programs. The nation's industrial production had fallen by 44 percent since 1929. An estimated 13 million people were unemployed and hundreds of thousands had become homeless wanderers in search of work. When the Depression worsened she developed plans for interstate cooperation to alleviate unemployment.īy the time Perkins came to the Department of Labor in 1933 the economy had virtually collapsed. As Commissioner of Labor under Governor Roosevelt she promoted workmen's compensation. She served on the state industrial board under Governor Al Smith and eventually became chairwoman. She worked zealously to improve living and working conditions there, coming to state senator Franklin Roosevelt's attention as a representative of the Consumers League lobbying for factory legislation. Born in 1880 in Boston and raised in New England, Perkins entered social work in New York State after graduating from college. She served as Secretary of Labor during the entire Roosevelt Administration, from 1933 to 1945, serving longer than any other Secretary in the Department's history.īy experience and temperament, Frances Perkins was well qualified to lead the Department during this crucial and trying period. Perkins, who had served brilliantly under him as New York State Commissioner of Labor while he was governor, was the logical choice and Labor was the logical place. He had already decided to place a woman somewhere in his Cabinet. The AFL had nominated Dan Tobin, head of the Teamsters, but President Roosevelt was determined to break precedent in more ways than one. She might also have felt odd because she was the first Secretary of Labor who had not been active in a trade union. Roosevelt made his appointments to the Cabinet that would help him guide the Nation through its worst ever economic crisis, his Secretary of Labor was said to feel "just a little odd." This was not surprising, since Frances Perkins was the only woman in the Cabinet and the first one ever appointed to such a high federal position. Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS).Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOMBD).Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP).Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO).Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP).Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM).Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA).Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ).Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).Employment and Training Administration (ETA).Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB).Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA).Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |