Labor & Industry Dept history

Investigations by state labor bureaus of dangers to workers' safety and health helped fuel a successful drive by labor for state factory acts in the industrial North, beginning with the Massachusetts Factory Act of 1877.

A Bureau of Labor, without cabinet status, was created on 27 June 1884 with Carroll D. Wright as its first commissioner.

In 1888 a bill for such a purpose, with support from the Knights of Labor, went to committee, which dropped the idea of cabinet rank because the Bureau of Labor did not have enough support in Congress to gain cabinet status.

When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, he wanted a cabinet officer, to be designated secretary of commerce and industries, to deal with commerce in its broadest sense, including the concerns of labor.

The act to create a Department of Commerce and Labor passed with little opposition; President Roosevelt signed it on 14 February 1903 and appointed his private secretary, George B. Cortelyou, as the first secretary of commerce and labor.

Then, in 1908 the United States government initiated a rather limited compensation system for its employees that sparked interest at the state level.

Then, in 1910 the Democrats won control of the House, and 15 union members won congressional seats.

The reports of these commissions showed that most employers were in favor of workmen's compensation; in May 1911 Wisconsin became the first state to establish a workmen's compensation system.

Representative William Sulzer of New York introduced a Department of Labor bill in 1912, which passed the House with little opposition.

1913: In the month-long Second Balkan War, Bulgaria marches against Serbia and Greece but is defeated by an alliance of those two with Romania.

1919: With the formation of Third International (Comintern), the Bolshevik government of Russia establishes its control over communist movements worldwide.

Washington, DC: United States Dept. of Labor, Office of Information, Publications, and Reports; for sale by the Government Printing Office, 1963.

In March 2012, he was appointed as the DOSH statewide compliance manager.

Joel Sacks was appointed Director of the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) in January 2013 by Governor Jay Inslee.

Craig was appointed as the deputy assistant director for DOSH in December 2014.

David Marty was appointed assistant director of L&I's Information Technology division in April 2017.

Elizabeth Smith was appointed as deputy director in March 2018.

Heather Normoyle was appointed assistant director of L&I's Office of Human Resources in February 2019.

Tim Church has been the assistant director for L&I's division of Web & Communication Services since July 2020.

Celeste Monahan was appointed acting assistant director of Fraud Prevention & Labor Standards (FPLS) in September 2021 after serving as the deputy assistant director of FPLS for 3 years.