APALA Reaches Out to Young Workers   by James Parks, Jul 22, 2009

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APALA President John Delloro

The future of the union and social justice movements lies in reaching out to college students, young workers and young voters who are energized by the election of Barack Obama.

Last week, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) took a big step toward uniting the younger generation and the union movement by bringing together more than 400 union members, community allies and student leaders to discuss the best strategies for working together.

“Generations United, Organizing for Change,” the theme for APALA’s 10th Biennial Convention in Las Vegas last week, emphasized the first national gathering of Asian Pacific American workers and students. The convention provided participants with a renewed sense of optimism for multigenerational leadership in the union movement as well as in the broader struggle for social and economic justice, convention organizers say.

Here’s APALA President John Delloro:

This convention marks a historic juncture for APALA and the labor movement.  We have an opportunity, and indeed an obligation, to continue building stronger worker and student alliances in the fight for worker’s rights.

Delloro, a member of AFT, says it’s clear young people feel a call to activism. Young voters played a big role in changing the nation in the 2008 elections, and college students have been involved in major worker campaigns over the past two years.

 To make the real changes we need, the leadership will come from working with a new generation.  

Delloro, 37, represents that change as well. He led a slate that increased the number of APALA executive board members under the age of 40 from two to 10. 

“APALA’s commitment to advocate for worker, immigrant and civil rights requires new energy, new ideas and a renewed commitment from the next generation of Asian Pacific American leaders,” said Amado Uno, APALA’s executive director. 

Young workers and college students embraced this challenge and are poised to work hand in hand…to help revitalize the labor movement.

Some of the strategies launched at the convention are already bearing fruit. An APALA Facebook page has picked up 400 “friends” in a week, says Uno.

Delloro, who teaches community college in California, says 18 of his students came with him to the APALA convention. Even though they are not yet in the workforce, they saw the problems they will face when they get out of school. And now they, too, are energized to work for change. And that, he says, is what it’s all about.

Other convention highlights included:

• Johanna Hester of AFSCME received the Philip Vera Cruz Award, given to an outstanding Asian Pacific American union organizer.
• Victor Uno of the Electrical Workers (IBEW), Amado’s father, received the Art Takei Leadership Award, given to an outstanding APALA member who has exemplified strong leadership within APALA and/or their union.
• SEIU Local 521’s APALA Caucus received the Vincent Foo Award, given to an outstanding local union or labor organization working with the Asian Pacific American community.
• The United States Student Association received the Generations Rising Award, given to an outstanding student or youth advocacy organization committed to worker, immigrant and civil rights.

Young workers were involved in every activity of the convention, Amado Uno says. One plenary session focused on student/worker campaigns on college campuses. A young workers caucus also produced ideas to build the union movement.

Reaching out to young people is a top priority for the AFL-CIO. Speaking at the Texas state federation convention last week, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka, a candidate for AFL-CIO president, said:

If there’s anything our labor movement needs, it’s an infusion of younger Americans—the people whose futures are taking a beating at the hands of the Wall Street hucksters and fast-buck artists who’ve driven our economy into a ditch. 

The APALA convention comes a month after AFSCME held its first national Next Wave Conference, where more than 500 AFSCME members, age 35 and under, met in Chicago for three days of activism, strategizing and learning about the union movement.

Speakers at the APALA convention also included California Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, California Assemblyman Warren Furutani, Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) President Gregory Junemann, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina,  Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson and D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

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