WASHINGTON, DC—The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO, and the United States Student Association (USSA), along with 20 national and local organizations, convened the First National Asian Pacific American Worker’s Rights Hearing last Friday.  The historic event allowed Asian Pacific American workers from around the country to testify on the right to organize and immigrant worker exploitation.  Hearing panelists included: USSA President Gregory Cendana, Congresswoman Judy Chu, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler, Special Advisor to the Secretary of Labor Mary Beth Maxwell, APALA National President John Delloro, Jobs with Justice Executive Director Sarita Gupta, UCLA Labor Center Director Kent Wong, and University of Maryland’s Asian American Studies Director Larry Shinagawa.

“As a Pilipino immigrant and someone who comes from a union family, I appreciate the work that APALA is doing to uplift the voices of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the labor movement and am honored to have been a part of the historic worker's rights hearing," said President Cendana.  "I am excited about continuing to strengthen student and worker solidarity and winning concrete victories for our communities.”

The USSA Board of Directors was the first youth organization to endorse the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). EFCA would enable working people to bargain for better benefits, wages and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union, according to the AFL-CIO website.

The USSA views worker and student progress as interconnected issues that further the fundamental rights of all.  Read about the  Student Labor Action Project, a joint project with Jobs with Justice, at www.usstudents.org/our-work/slap.

The United States Student Association, the country’s oldest and largest student-led organization, represents over 4.5 million students at over 400 campuses across the nation.  We work to develop current and future leaders and amplify the student voice at the local, state, and national levels by mobilizing grassroots power to win concrete victories on student issues.

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO was founded in 1992 as the first and only national organization for Asian Pacific American union members to advance worker, immigrant, and civil rights.