The Adamson Act was a

United States federal law The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as ...

passed in 1916 that established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work, for interstate

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

workers.

History

The terms that were embodied in the act were negotiated by a committee of the four railroad labor brotherhoods of

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

, firemen,

brakemen A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The earliest known use of the term to describe this occupation occurred in 1833. The advent of through brakes, ...

and conductors, chaired by Austin B. Garretson. Garretson was the respected leader of the conductors' union. He had formerly been a member of the President's Commission on Industrial Relations, investigating the causes of

industrial violence Industrial violence refers to acts of violence which occur within the context of industrial relations. These disputes can involve employers and employees, unions, employer organisations and the state. There is not a singular theory which can expla ...

. Congress passed the Act in order to avoid a nationwide strike. Named for Georgia representative

William C. Adamson William Charles Adamson (August 13, 1854 – January 3, 1929) was a United States representative from Georgia, an Associate Justice of the United States Customs Court and a member of the Board of General Appraisers. Early years and family Adams ...

, this was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies. The

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

upheld the

constitutionality Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...

of the Act in 1917. When the railroads refused to abide by the law while their court challenge to its constitutionality was pending, the railway unions began preparing again to strike. The

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

's decision brought the employers around, however, and they entered into settlement discussions concerning implementation of the law. The unions' success spurred other railway employees not covered by the Act to press similar demands. Their negotiations were leading to a strike when President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...

, exercising the authority granted by the Army Appropriations Act of 1916, took over operation of the railroads on December 26, 1917.Presidential Proclamation 1419, December 26, 1917, under authority of the Army Appropriation Act, , August 29, 1916. (''See''

United States Railroad Administration The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was the name of the nationalisation, nationalized railroad system of the United States between December 28, 1917, and March 1, 1920. It was the largest American experiment with nationalization, and ...

Terms

The Act, formerly codified at 45 U.S.C. §§ 65, 66, was repealed in 1996 when it provided: The language of the Adamson Act is now recodified, with only minor changes, at 49 U.S.C. §§ 28301, 28302.

References

{{Reflist 1916 in American law 64th United States Congress History of labor relations in the United States United States federal labor legislation Presidency of Woodrow Wilson Progressive Era in the United States 1916 in labor relations United States railroad regulation