Boston Univ.’s Weil to lead US Dept. of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division

The US Senate has confirmed Prof. David Weil’s nomination by President Obama

David Weil, Boston University School of Management professor of markets, public policy, and law and an Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar, has been confirmed by the Senate to lead the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Weil was chosen for the Department of Labor position by President Obama in September 2013.

“I am deeply honored to be nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate as the Wage and Hour Administrator in the US Department of Labor,” says Weil. ”I am very excited by the opportunity to work under the leadership of Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and with the talented men and women of the agency in making sure that workers in the US receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”

Weil will oversee a division that ensures American workers are adequately compensated for the work they have done by being paid the minimum wage and required overtime compensation

The nomination was one of 29 made in a September 10 announcement by the president, who said he was “grateful that the talented and dedicated individuals have agreed to take on these important roles and devote their talents to serving the American people.”

Weil, a BU expert in labor market policy and industrial and labor relations policy, has advised government agencies, including the Wage and Hour Division and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as workplace agencies in other countries. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Labor, the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Allen Questrom Professor and Dean Kenneth W. Freeman says Weil is a valued member of the SMG community, whose “commitment to groundbreaking research and outstanding teaching is exemplary.”

Weil will oversee a division that ensures American workers are adequately comensated for the work they have done by being paid the minimum wage and required overtime compensation. It also protects responsible employers from competition with companies that do not comply with federal wage and hour requirements by enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act, which also regulates child labor. The agency also oversees the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act, and employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration-related statutes.