Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The Labor Leader Essay

Political Background Franklin D. Roosevelt was the hourlong running president of the United States. He was at the helm of the nation from the end of the grand natural depression to the end of the Second World War. Spanning 12 daylights, his governing faced the toughest times in U.S. history. However, his policies and programs must(prenominal) sire effectively addressed both foreign and national crises as certify by the popular result that kept him in the White House. FDR entered politics as a democrat and won a butt in the New York Senate in 1910 as come up governorship of New York in 1928. He was an advocate of the farmers in New York and an opponent of corruption in establishment which manifested in the activities of the Tweed Ring (milling machine Center, 2008). His style of governing body was both progressive and nationalist where he believed in equality among peoples and compositionability of authorities. He became assistant repository to the navy then made his comeback as governor of New York in 1928 after years of battling with polio. His political career culminated in his election as United States president in 1932. He was re-elected thrice after but was unable to finish his give out term because of his sudden death.Involvement in working class attention dealings Well before his opening and into the first years of his administration, he saw the crisis brought astir(predicate) by overproduction bring agriculture and manufacturing to a standstill into what is known as the Great Depression. Thousands of proletarians became unoccupied and farmers were set to lose their farms and property to creditors. Poverty, hunger, joblessness and uncertainty lurked evidenced everywhere. FDR believed that capitalism is the most advanced economy. However, it has its flaws if unregulated so that necessary reforms should be made to enable government to regulate the economy (Miller Center, 2008). At the height of the Great Depression, FDRs early sol ution to U.S. perseverance was encapsulated in the National Industry Recovery suffice. The NIRA sought to fix production by creating demand for products through with(predicate) macrocosm works construction (Miller Center, 2008). This in turn generated trading for the multitudes of jobless Americans. The be as well as gave incentives to industry and at the same time provided protection for workers in foothold of prosecute regulation and the right to collectively lot and organize (Dubofsky, 1994, p.111). However, the NIRA was largely unsuccessful because it failed to take into account the basic laws that governed capitalism. FDR tried a new rag through the Workers Progress Administration, the Wagner-Connery National Labor transaction figure and the Social Security Act. The WPA sustained and spread out the earlier efforts of job creation (Miller Center, 2008). Millions of Americans were paid by government to construct schools buildings, hospital facilities and transport infrastructure. It also provided the necessary training in order to be eligible for employment. The Wagner-Connery Act was the successful attempt at legislating the workers welfare stated in the earlier NIRA. This Act ensured workers rights to collective bargain and union organization (Dubofsky, 1994, p.131). It get on established a government agency to contend its implementation the National Labor Relations table which became the workers unions grievance center for the below the belt wage and labor practices committed by guild charge (Dubofsky, 1994, p.128). In 1938, FDR enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act to complement the Wagner-Connery Act. The FLSA set up a effectual minimum working mans wage and pegged the legal maximum hours of work each day as additional measures against worker exploitation (Miller Center, 2008). As a result, union membership ballooned to more than 10 million by the 1940s. The Social Security Act instituted welfare benefits for the workers such as a ssistance and restitution during old age, insurance for the unemployed, assistance to dependent children and the covert (Miller Center, 2008). The funds for this program were subtracted regularly from the workers wages. FDR further initiated a socialized tax final cause which aimed to tax the wealthier more and the workers less, though this was largely guesswork down by Congress. The major economic problems involving industry during the Great Depression forced FDR to be tortuous with labor management. Workers formed the bulk of the electorate, and as a liberal reformer, he saw it his responsibility as a public official to improve their conditions. His predisposition and knowledge regarding the unequal dealings between management and workers enabled him to effectively translate workers rights into legislation.Contribution to Labor Management Relations FDR has greatly contributed to labor management relations by creating legal mechanisms by which workers can exercise their righ ts and demand fairer wages along with better working conditions and benefits from management. These mechanisms are in due recognition of the fact that workers and management have strange interests the former aims to obtain higher wagers while the latter(prenominal) aims to decrease production costs through lower wages. The labor and welfare acts that saw implementation during FDRs administration are also evidence of the worker being in a disadvantaged position. It recognise that the only manner in which workers can lock away management with regards to their remuneration and work environment is through their collective bargaining. In order for workers to be forceful, they must consolidate themselves into a union as their venue for organized action. The Wagner Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act also point to the need for government arbitrament in labor disputes with the National Labor Relations Board as the mediating agency between unions and management. itemization of Referen cesDubofsky, M. (1994). The State and Labor in Modern America. northeast Carolina University of North Carolina Press. Retrieved 25 March 2008 from http//www.questia.com/readMiller Center Public Affairs University of Virginia (2008). American chairwoman An Online Reference Resource Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945). Retrieved 25 March 2008 from http//millercenter.org/academic.