(1913), executive department of the U.S. government promoting the welfare of American workers by monitoring laws that relate to child and agricultural labor, the minimum wage, and other areas of worker concerns. The secretary of labor, a member of the president's cabinet, heads the department and serves as the chief adviser to the president on labor matters. The secretary of labor was the first cabinet post held by a woman,
Frances Perkins, appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
