Biography
Jessica is dedicated to empowering workers and advancing social justice through labor education and organizing. She has led the
Labor Education Center since 2016, combining her organizing and academic expertise to advocate for fair treatment and workers' rights. For over nearly 20 years she has collaborated extensively with Chicago-based unions, worker centers, and community based organizations, using research and action to drive meaningful change. She was a former staff organizer at UNITE HERE, and later a leader and steward with the UIC Graduate Employees Organization (IFT-AFT Local 6297). She also earned a PhD in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where her research explored the intersections of labor movements, mass incarceration, immigration, race, and precarious work. She has served as an Advisory Committee member of the
Labor Research Action Network (LRAN) since 2014, helping convene researchers and organizers nationally for strategic collaboration. Email Jessica at
jcook18@depaul.edu.