NYU Wagner Labor Initiative Welcomes New Senior Fellow to Support State and Local Labor Enforcement

The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative is proud to announce that Jessica Looman has joined the Initiative as a senior fellow. Looman has served in both state and federal government roles, including most recently as the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division during the Biden administration. In that position, she was entrusted with enforcing compliance with foundational federal labor standards including minimum wage, overtime, and family and medical leave protections for over 165 million workers across the nation. 

“I am excited to be joining the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative to support local and state labor protection agency leaders across the country,” said Looman. “By collaborating and learning from each other, we can leverage the progress we have made to advance worker protections and we can continue to build an economy that works for everyone. 

At the U.S. Department of Labor, Looman prioritized strategic enforcement for low-wage vulnerable workers, preventing retaliation against workers who speak out about wage theft, overseeing the development and implementation of pro-worker regulations and policies, and advancing meaningful strategic partnerships with stakeholders and local, state, and federal government agencies to increase worker protections and employer compliance. 

During her tenure, the Department of Labor recovered more than $1 billion in wages and damages for victims of wage theft. She also led the Interagency Task Force to Combat Child Labor Exploitation and protected more than 16,000 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws, including more than 2,000 children employed in hazardous occupations, and assessed more than $34 million in penalties against employers. 

Under her leadership, the Wage and Hour Division also addressed misclassification of employees as independent contractors, recovering over $59M for misclassified workers and adopted and implemented the Employee or Independent Contractor Classification Under the Fair Labor Standards Act final regulation; implemented the PUMP at Work Act ensuring 9 million more workers can pump breast milk at work; and expanded overtime protections for millions of workers.   

Prior to her federal service, Looman served as a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Minnesota state government agencies and as the Executive Director of the Minnesota State Building and Construction Trades Council. Her extensive experience will be invaluable in furthering the Labor Initiative’s work with state and local government agencies that enforce labor laws and protect workers’ rights. 

At the Labor Initiative, Looman will help support state and local government in protecting and enforcing workers’ rights, providing guidance on strategic enforcement, child labor, proactive compliance efforts, and helping build interstate collaboration among enforcement agencies. 

“Jessica is a national leader on workers’ rights enforcement, who has spearheaded impactful action at the federal and state levels,” said NYU Wagner Labor Initiative Director Terri Gerstein. “I am thrilled that she will be joining us and sharing her deep understanding of how to use the government’s power to achieve results for working people.”