Description:

John F. Kennedy Boldly Signed TLS Re: Federal Employees' Labor Rights

A 1p typed letter signed by sitting 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) as "John Kennedy" near center-right. May 24, 1962. [Washington, D.C.] On a leaf of watermarked stationery embossed with "The White House / Washington" at the letterhead. Two minuscule indentations located in the upper left corner are mentioned just for accuracy, else near pristine. Matted and framed behind UV ray-filtering Plexiglas to the left of a matte black and white photograph of Kennedy. Not examined out of the frame. The sight size of the letter is 6.675" x 8.75" while the overall size of the frame is 18.75" x 14.75" x 1.125." Accompanied by an auction JSA Letter of Authenticity dated February 11, 2009.

President Kennedy wrote to U.S. Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg (1908-1990), in part:

"I am most gratified to learn more of the progress of the Employee-Management Relations Program. Executive Order 10988 on Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Service is an essential part of our effort to bring new vigor and creativity to the public service…I am confident that [any problems] can be resolved satisfactorily and that progress will continue to be achieved in establishing the best possible relationship between the Federal Government and its employees…"

Executive Order 10988, or the Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Service, granted federal employees the right to labor organize. It was issued by President Kennedy on January 17, 1962. Public sector employees had previously been excluded from the 1935 National Labor Relations Act granting private sector employees the right to collective bargaining, but this right was now extended to federal employees. Although public sector employees were now sanctioned to join unions, they were still prevented from organizing strikes--a legacy of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act.

Prior to his involvement in politics, Arthur J. Goldberg had specialized as a labor attorney during the Great Depression. Goldberg had served as Kennedy's labor adviser during the latter's presidential campaign, and he is credited with convincing labor unions to endorse Kennedy. Goldberg served as Labor Secretary for nearly two years, from January 1961 to September 1962. In addition to overseeing the deployment the Employee-Management Cooperation in the Federal Service, Goldberg also urged other reforms concerning the minimum wage and unemployment benefits. The greatest achievement during Goldberg's tenure as Labor Secretary was the passage and implementation of Executive Order 10925, also known as the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (PCEEO), which established the right of all employees to be hired regardless of "race, creed, color, or national origin" in March 1961.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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