A Growing Asian Immigrant Presence in Organized Labor

Filipino workers at Hawaiian strike camp, circa 1925

Despite the rising tide of anti-union legislation across the country, union membership is increasing among one group—immigrants. The majority of these new union members come from Latin America, and increasingly, from Asia.

In this podcast episode,  Fi2W executive producer John Rudolph speaks with reporter Cristina Pastor about the impact that Asians are having on organized labor in New York and across the country.  Others featured in the podcast are veteran Chinese-American labor leader May Chen and Maf Uddin, president of AFSCME Local 1407.  His union represents about 125,000 municipal workers in New York City, including accountants, statisticians and actuaries.

Subscribe to the Fi2W podcast

Read Cristina Pastor’s story Asian Immigrants in the Labor Movement: From Hawaii’s Plantations to Wisconsin’s Public Sector.

Cristina Pastor is a Feet in Two Worlds business and economics reporting fellow.  Her work, and the work of other Fi2W fellows, is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

AboutFeet in Two Worlds

Feet in 2 Worlds (Fi2W) is an independent media outlet, journalism training program, and launchpad for emerging immigrant journalists and media makers of color. Our work brings positive and meaningful change to America's newsrooms and has a broader impact on how immigration is reported and the ethnic and racial composition of news organizations.