About APALA
Description
of APALA
Founded
in 1992, the Asian Pacific American Labor
Alliance, AFL-CIO, is the
first and only national organization of Asian
Pacific American (APA) union
members.
APALA has a rich history
of recruiting and training union members and
labor activists to become leaders in the labor
movement, mobilizing voters to increase APA
participation in the political process and
engaging local communities to increase their
awareness of the labor movement and issues that
affect workers. Furthermore, APALA is
committed to forging ties with our
international brothers and sisters to continue
the fight for worker
justice.
Over 600,000 Asian Pacific American workers have joined unions and are seeking better pay, improved benefits, dignity on the job, and a voice in the workplace. Backed with strong support from the AFL-CIO, APALA has 11 chapter and pre-chapters, and a national office in Washington D.C.
History of APALA
In 1992, over 500 Asian
Pacific American labor activists from around
the country gathered in Washington D.C. for the
founding convention of the Asian Pacific
American Labor Alliance,
AFL-CIO.
Prior to the founding convention, several local APA labor groups had formed. These groups included the Asian American Labor Committee in New York, the Asian American Federation of Union Members in San Francisco, and the Alliance of Asian Pacific Labor in Los Angeles. Still there was a necessity for a national coalition. In 1990, APA labor activists approached the AFL-CIO with the historic proposal to form a national Asian Pacific American labor group. As a result, in 1991, the AFL-CIO Executive Council established a committee to explore the formation of a national APA labor group. The Steering Committee that was formed from this proposal included the three regional APA groups, representatives from the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, and representatives from the seven founding unions.
The stated goals of APALA were to create an organization which would educate APA workers; promote political education and voter registration programs among APAs; and promote training, empowerment and leadership of APAs within the labor movement. APALA further set out to defend and advocate for the civil and human rights of APAs, immigrants and people of color and to develop ties within international labor organizations, especially in Asia and the Pacific.
APALA Executive
Board
APALA
Staff
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