Wisconsin Department of Workforce
Development
Timeline History: 1883-2008
The
Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and
its predecessor state agencies, along with its
component programs, have a long history of
service to Wisconsin citizens. Since 1883, the Department has been
dedicated to the welfare of Wisconsin workers
and workplaces. Beginning with labor
market statistics and workplace safety, the
Department grew along with the national concern
for fair treatment of workers and locating
workers for employers. Today, with
the incorporation of economic support and
vocational rehabilitation programs, the
Department is the umbrella for all of the
Wisconsin programs that relate to employment.
This
timeline tells the story of the Department's
creation, development, and maturation. It
includes both national and state legislation
that underlies the Department's programs.
The timeline also includes the history of
some related programs that occurred in other
governmental agencies.
1883 - Wisconsin Bureau of Labor
Statistics
Wisconsin's Labor Department is born with the creation of the Wisconsin Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Read more about the Bureau of
Labor Statistics
1911 - Wisconsin Industrial Commission
The Wisconsin Industrial Commission, which was responsible for
implementing the nation's first Worker's Compensation law, among
many other thing, existed from 1911 until 1966.
Read more about the
Industrial Commission
1967 - Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor and Human
Relations (DILHR)
The Kellett Commission studying organization of state government
recommended consolidating labor-related functions and creating the
Department of Industry, Labor & Human Relations (DILHR) from the old
Industrial Commission.
Read more about DILHR
1996 - Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD)
The Department of Workforce Development was created after the Legislative Audit Bureau and the SAVE Commission
found that a
myriad of employment programs existed, many of them competing or
uncoordinated, causing confusion and frustration for employers and job
seekers.
Each agency and program had its own administrative structure and
delivery systems,
causing duplication and inefficiency. The proliferation of programs and
services meant that
many customers did not receive the services they were looking for, or
were forced to hunt
and peck for what they needed.
On July 1, 1996, DWD was created using elements taken from the old Department of Industry, Labor and Human
Relations and
adding essential services from the Department of Health and Social
Services, such as
vocational rehabilitation and economic support.
Read more about DWD
Wisconsin Labor
Department History Timeline
|
Time Frame |
Sample Events |
| 1883
-1899 |
|
|
1900 - 1919 |
|
|
1920 - 1939 |
-
Safety code for mines and quarries developed
-
Prevailing wage rates created
-
Nation's first unemployment insurance law passed
|
|
1940 -1959 |
-
Wisconsin Fair Employment Law passed
-
Wisconsin administers the Social Security Disability
program through the vocational rehabilitation agency
-
Women become major contributors to workforce during
WWII
|
|
1960 - 1979 |
-
Federal Aid to Families with Dependent Children
(AFDC) program begins
-
Wisconsin legislation requires buildings to be
accessible to persons with disabilities
-
DILHR's Employment Security Division became the
first in the nation to adopt the name Job Service.
|
|
1980 - 1999 |
-
Department celebrates 100th birthday
-
Refugee Act creates the first national refugee
admissions policy and assistance program
-
Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act takes effect
|
|
2000 -
Present |
-
Food Stamp program in Wisconsin began Electronic
Benefits Transfer
-
DWD takes lead in the resettlement efforts for
Lao-Hmong refugees
-
Wisconsin increased minimum wage for first time
since 1997
|
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|
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