Lindblom:
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) has sustained incremental change for more than seven decades. The FLSA initially prohibited child labor, established the minimum wage at 25 cents per hour, and set a maximum work week at 44 hours (http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/flsa1938.htm). Since 1938, the FLSA has been amended several times. However, the fight for fair wages and child labor laws did not begin with the FLSA. President Roosevelt was a champion of labor laws and placed several provisions within the New Deal to see that fair wages, work hours, and labor laws were available for the protection of workers (DOL). The Supreme Court on the other hand had very different opinions regarding labor regulation. The Supreme Court systematically invalidated labors laws throughout the 1930's. It was a constant fight for labor regulations. Even the Public Contracts Act of 1936 was weakened by the Court (DOL). Finally in 1937, the Supreme Court, under threat from the President, upheld a labor law (DOL). This was finally the change that was needed in order to create the FLSA, although it would not be enacted until June 25, 1938 (DOL). The bill had to go through two submissions to Congress and extreme lobbying by the President (DOL). Since 1938, the FLSA has been amended several times. Most recently in 2007 to increase the minimum wage (DOL http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/coverage.htm). Overall, the FLSA has ben modified and changed several times over the last seven decades in ensure the the United States' labor policy and minimum wage is as good as any alternative.
Lowi:
Carwash employees in Los Angeles are trying to unionized themselves due to extremely low wages and unfair working conditions. Many of the employees are not legal citizens or authorized to work in the United States. This puts them at a serious disadvantage when employers violate labor laws and regulations. Some workers say they are not paid more than $35 for a 10 hour work day and are not given proper protection when working with chemicals. Cheap labor from undocumented workers is just too lucrative for employers to comply with the laws. The employees feel if they create a union, they will no longer be taken advantage of by carwash owners and managers. The carwash employees have been backed by the Steelworkers Union and the AFL-CIO.
This clearly a case of policy regulation. Labor regulation fits into the regulatory type of public policy. Government labor laws impact the private carwash businesses. In this instance the labor regulations also impact the undocumented workers specifically. The issue of whether they are protected under the laws needs to be addressed and employers sanctioned for violations. The regulation policy is failing a certain class of people, whether or not they are citizens. Although several of the car-washes are law abiding, the few that are not are bringing attention to a serious violations of labor regulation.
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