News Archives
November 7, 2011
New Jersey State AFL-CIO Forms Historic APALA New Jersey Chapter to Bridge Together Organized Labor and Asian Pacific American Community
Today, under the auspices of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO and the national Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), the first ever APALA New Jersey chapter was formed. This milestone event punctuates the New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s commitment to strengthening ties between the labor movement and the Asian Pacific American community to advance the cause of working families in New Jersey.During the founding meeting, New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech and Secretary-Treasurer Laurel Brennan signed on as members and declared their support for APALA. President Wowkanech stated, “Connecting the labor movement with our diverse communities is part of our future, and we are proud to build this future working hand in hand with APALA. As one of the nation’s most diverse labor movements, achieving full participation from all of our diverse communities is a priority of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO.”
Secretary-Treasurer Brennan explained, “This partnership goes beyond paper, and is an opportunity to achieve real results for union members and working families. Partnerships such as these work to bridge together our labor movement and ensure all in our diverse labor family have a voice.”
Already, APALA has proven to be a valuable partner as we worked closely together in reaching thousands of Asian Pacific American voters leading up to the 2011 election. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO looks forward to continuing to develop the first ever APALA chapter in New Jersey and combining our efforts to strengthen our partnerships within the community to enhance the standard of living for all workers.
APALA Executive Director Gregory Cendana, Associate Director Caroline Fan, and APALA Executive Board members including national Treasurer Michael Yee, May Chen and Lenny Moi joined APALA New Jersey members in solidarity and pledged to provide ongoing support.
CLICK HERE to see pictures for the APALA New Jersey founding meeting.