Massachusetts Sets Minimum Wage: Labor Rights Take Root
Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to enact a minimum wage law on June 4, 1912, establishing a commission to set wage rates for women and children in specific industries. The law did not mandate a specific dollar amount but empowered the commission to investigate wages and publish findings that embarrassed employers paying below subsistence levels. The rates it recommended were roughly $7-8 per week for women. The law was not enforceable through penalties; it relied on public pressure. The federal minimum wage was not established until the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which set the rate at 25 cents per hour (about $5.25 in today's money). The Massachusetts law was part of the Progressive Era's broader effort to use government regulation to address the worst abuses of industrial capitalism.
June 4, 1912
114 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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