Department of Labor

Department of Labor - one of the Cabinet departments, established in 1913. Congress commissioned the Department of Labor to "foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners of the United States, to improve the working conditions, and to advance their opportunities for profitable employment." The Secretary of Labor is the head of the department. The program agencies that make up the Department of Labor are: the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; the Employment and Training Administration; the Mine Safety and Health Administration; the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration; the Veterans' Employment and Training Service; the Employment Standards Administration; the Bureau of Labor Statistics; and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.