About the Labor Commission
The Labor and Industrial Relations Commission (LIRC) is established by Section 49, Article IV, of the Missouri Constitution. The LIRC’s primary constitutional duty is to oversee the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (Labor Department). The LIRC is composed of three members appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate. One member is classified as a representative of employers, one member is classified as a representative of employees, and one member is classified as a representative of the public. The public representative must be licensed to practice law in Missouri.
John J. Larsen, Jr. was appointed as the public representative, and chairman, of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission in June 2013. A St. Louis native, Larsen is a graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia, and the St. Louis University School of Law. Larsen spent 33 years in private practice representing injured workers in workers’ compensation claims. He has also served as a Special Assistant Attorney General and on the Missouri Bar Association’s workers’ compensation legislative subcommittee.
Curtis E. Chick, Jr. was appointed as the employee representative of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission (LIRC) in 2011. After graduating from Helias High School in Jefferson City, in 1966, Chick began his career in the U.S. Army in 1967 and served until 1970. Chick became an apprentice in the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union Apprenticeship Program in 1970 and completed his program four years later. He served as a Business Representative for the Sheet Metal Workers’ Union #36 for 25 years as well as served on the Missouri Workforce Investment Board for one year before being appointed to the LIRC.