Virginia Labor Secretary Jessica Looman Offers Strategies for Protecting Workers' Rights
•March 6, 2026
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Why It Matters
Looman’s framework equips labor leaders with concrete tools to turn government partnerships into policy wins, accelerating protections for millions of workers and reshaping the political landscape of workplace rights.
Key Takeaways
- •Effective partnerships require self‑assessment and strategic, unbiased collaboration.
- •Identify and overcome unconscious bias toward government and employers.
- •Use power analysis to target electoral, legislative, administrative advocacy.
- •Prioritize worker voice in all advocacy and policy development.
- •Leverage state‑level successes, like Virginia’s wage enforcement, for broader impact.
Summary
The Harvard Trade Union program hosted Virginia Labor Secretary Jessica Looman to discuss how state and local governments can be leveraged to protect workers’ rights. Looman, a former head of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and newly appointed Virginia secretary, framed the conversation around partnership strategies, emphasizing that effective collaboration begins with self‑assessment and the removal of unconscious bias toward government and employers.
She outlined a three‑pronged advocacy model—electoral, legislative, and administrative—and urged participants to conduct a power analysis to identify where each lever can be most effective. Looman stressed that partnerships must be strategic, data‑driven, and rooted in a clear definition of success, with worker voice placed at the center of every initiative.
Drawing on personal anecdotes, Looman recalled a skeptical union lawyer she met at a Seattle conference, using the encounter to illustrate how past negative experiences can color future collaborations. She also highlighted recent achievements, such as Virginia’s updated prevailing‑wage enforcement and research on state‑based heat standards, to demonstrate the tangible outcomes of well‑structured government‑labor alliances.
For labor organizers, policymakers, and employers, Looman’s message underscores the necessity of treating each stakeholder as a potential ally rather than an adversary. By adopting unbiased, strategic partnership frameworks, the labor movement can accelerate the adoption of worker‑friendly policies across states, strengthening collective bargaining rights and workplace safety nationwide.
Original Description
For the 2026 Wurf Memorial Forum, the Harvard Trade Union Program (HTUP) and the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School welcomed Jessica Looman, Virginia Secretary of Labor under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, to discuss state and local strategies to protect workers’ rights.
Before being tapped to serve as labor secretary, Looman served as the administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division from 2021 to 2025.
0:00 Welcome remarks by Sharon Block
1:58 Introduction by Elissa McBride, Secretary-Treasurer of AFSCME
8:15 Remarks by Secretary Looman
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