UCSB Professor discusses the lasting impact of Frances Perkins

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Eileen Boris

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Eileen Boris, Professor of Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss Frances Perkins, the first female U.S. Secretary of Labor.

Perkins witnessed the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and used this experience to fuel her passion for workers' rights. Boris explained that, as Labor Secretary under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Perkins championed key initiatives, including Social Security, unemployment insurance and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Boris discussed Perkins' “half a loaf” approach, which involved pushing for comprehensive reforms while accepting incremental progress when necessary.

Boris then discussed Perkins' instrumental role in establishing the U.S. presence in the International Labor Organization (ILO). Perkins coordinated efforts for the U.S. to join the ILO in the mid-1930s and later helped save the organization during World War II. Her work culminated in the 1944 Philadelphia Declaration, which reaffirmed the principle that labor is not a commodity and workers deserve fair standards and collective bargaining rights, Boris said.

Finally, Boris discussed current challenges to academic freedom and labor rights. She stressed the importance of preserving the liberal order Perkins helped create, highlighting ongoing efforts at UC Santa Barbara to protect academic freedom and support worker education. She emphasized the crucial role of trade unions and the need for continued union organizing at universities and beyond.

Listen to the full episode above for more on Frances Perkins' lasting impact on labor rights and social policy.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

UCSB Professor discusses the lasting impact of Frances Perkins

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