What did the Adamson Act (1916) establish?

What did the Adamson Act (1916) establish?

• A. Prohibition
• B. Eight-hour workday for railroad workers
• C. Minimum wage
• D. Overtime pay

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is federal regulation of working hours, a hallmark of Progressive Era labor reform. The Adamson Act applied to railroad workers engaged in interstate commerce and set a standard of eight hours per day. If workers worked more than eight hours, they were to be paid overtime. This made the eight-hour day the first nationwide limit on daily labor for a major industry and established overtime as a mechanism to enforce that limit. While it did introduce overtime pay, its lasting significance is the eight-hour standard itself and the federal government’s role in regulating hours, rather than broad effects like a general minimum wage or prohibition.

The main idea here is federal regulation of working hours, a hallmark of Progressive Era labor reform. The Adamson Act applied to railroad workers engaged in interstate commerce and set a standard of eight hours per day. If workers worked more than eight hours, they were to be paid overtime. This made the eight-hour day the first nationwide limit on daily labor for a major industry and established overtime as a mechanism to enforce that limit. While it did introduce overtime pay, its lasting significance is the eight-hour standard itself and the federal government’s role in regulating hours, rather than broad effects like a general minimum wage or prohibition.