Today in History: The First U.S. Minimum Wage Law

On this day (June 4) in 1912, Massachusetts passed the first minimum wage law in the United States. It did not actually establish a minimum wage. Instead it formed a committee to investigate accusations of low wages for women and children. If the wages were determined to be below the cost of living the committee shamed the employers by publishing their names in local newspapers. Shaming was not a particularly successful strategy in inspiring positive change. Even so, the Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional in 1937.

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Published on June 04, 2019 02:10
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