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Dept. of Labor
Established:March 4, 1913
Activated:March 5, 1913
Secretary:Elaine L. Chao
Deputy Secretary:Steven J. Law
Budget:$59.7 billion (2004)
Employees:17,347 (2004)
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The department is headed by the United States Secretary of Labor.

History

In the words of the organic act, the Department's purpose is "to foster, promote and develop the welfare of working people, to improve their working conditions, and to enhance their opportunities for profitable employment."

The U.S. Congress first established a Bureau of Labor in 1884 under the Department of the Interior. Later, the Bureau of Labor became an independent Department of Labor but lacked executive rank. It became a bureau again within the Department of Commerce and Labor, which was established February 14, 1903.

President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress to consider the idea of reuniting Commerce and Labor. He argued that the two departments had similar goals and that they would have more efficient channels of communication in a single department. However, Congress never acted on it.

Operating units

Other organizational units within the Department:

  • Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults With Disabilities (PTFEAD)
  • Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ)
  • Office of Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA)
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management (OASAM)
  • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP)
  • Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO)
  • Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO)
  • Office of Inspector General (OIG)
  • Office of Small business Programs (OSBP)
  • Office of the Solicitor (SOL)
  • Office of the Secretary (OSEC)
  • Office of the 21st Century Workforce (21CW)

Related legislation

External links

United States Department of Labor | 1913 establishments

Arbeitsministerium (Vereinigte Staaten) | Ameerika Ühendriikide Tööministeerium

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "United States Department of Labor".

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