This week, President Biden signed a proclamation establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine, to honor the historic contributions of America’s first woman Cabinet Secretary and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor.

Following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, Perkins as appointed as the executive secretary of the citizen’s Committee on Safety by Theodore Roosevelt. Perkins served as an investigator and guide into workplace safety, and the Commission’s work resulted in the most comprehensive laws governing workplace health and safety. These laws became a model for the federal government.

IN 1928, Perkins became the Industrial Commissioner for New York State, under governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. She quickly became the most prominent state labor official in the nation, working with various agencies to increase employment.

In 1933, Frances Perkins became the Secretary of Labor under FDR, and she pursued various protections we still benefit from today, such as a 40 hour workweek, a minimum wage, unemployment compensation, Social Security, and the abolition of child labor. Perkins became the first woman to serve in a US Presidential cabinet.

In 1938, Perkins helped establish the Fair Labor Standards Act, which still protects workers today.

We are so grateful for her work, and that her contributions to modern workplace protections are recognized.