Signage is seen at the United States Department of Labor headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
(Reuters) - President Joe Biden is nominating Jessica Looman, a former trade union official and the acting head of the U.S. Department of Labor office that enforces wage laws, to fill the position permanently, the White House said.
The announcement of Looman's nomination on Wednesday came after the U.S. Senate in March rejected Biden's first choice to lead DOL's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Brandeis University professor David Weil.
Weil held the position during the Obama administration and drew the ire of business groups and Republicans for aggressively policing the classification of workers as independent contractors, who have fewer legal protections than employees.
Looman has served as the principal deputy administrator and acting administrator of WHD since January 2021. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. Supreme Court in the 2017 case NLRB v. SW General Inc said federal law prohibits agency officials from serving in an acting capacity once they have been nominated by the president to fill the position.
A DOL spokesperson said that as of Wednesday, Looman is no longer serving as acting administrator of WHD and the position is vacant. As principal deputy, Looman may still perform many of the duties normally carried out by the administrator, and duties that cannot be delegated will be handled by Secretary...
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