Adamson Act signed into law

On June 15, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Adamson Act, which established the eight-hour workday for interstate railroad employees with time-and-a-half for overtime. This landmark labor legislation averted a nationwide strike threatened by the Big Four brotherhoods and marked the first federal regulation of private-sector working hours. It strengthened railroad unions, improved worker safety and morale, and set precedents for broader labor reforms during the Progressive Era.