In 1913, President William Howard Taft signed legislation that created the U.S. Department of Labor. Two decades later, a flurry of New Deal legislation extended federal protection to the right to organize and bargain collectively (National Labor Relations Act), created a safety net of financial support for the elderly, disabled and unemployed (Social Security Act), and codified the 40-hour workweek (Fair Labor Standards Act).
Since then, the American public has accepted, and arguably expected, the federal government to be a force for change in the workplace. The Family and Medical Leave Act and the Affordable Care Act are recent examples of this leading role.
