President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Cabinet Room, Washington, D.C., 1933-1945. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Cabinet Room, Washington, D.C., 1933-1945. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Franklin D. Roosevelt began working with labor reformer Frances Perkins while he was governor of New York. After becoming President, he named Perkins as his Secretary of Labor, the highest position a women had ever held in the federal government. Working closely, they implemented key labor reforms through New Deal legislation. Together, they shepherded the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) through Congress in 1935. Also known as the "Wagner Act," this law protected the rights of workers to negotiate with their employers regarding pay and working conditions.