​National Officers

Monica Thammarath, NEA, Senior Liaison
National President
Monica Thammarath is the Senior Program/Policy Specialist in the Office of Minority Community Organizing and Partnerships at the National Education Association (NEA), where she serves as the liaison between the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and NEA’s more than 3 million members. Prior to the NEA, Ms. Thammarath was the education policy advocate for the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) where she oversaw SEARAC’s Education Program. Ms. Thammarath’s work is grounded in her experience organizing as a college student and providing services locally around access to affordable and high quality education. The daughter of refugees from Laos, Ms. Thammarath was born and raised in Southeast San Diego, California and is a proud product of California’s public K-16 education system.​

Kim Geron, CFA/SEIU 1983, Vice President
1st Vice President
Kim Geron is an Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University East Bay and is the Vice-President of the California Faculty Association, the union representing more than 24,000 professors, coaches, counselors, and librarians in the 23 campus California State University system. He teaches and writes about public policy issues including labor and immigration, and racial politics. His latest book is entitled, The Snake Dance of Asian American Activism: Community, Vision, and Power, published in 2008. He is the Alameda County Chapter President of APALA.​

Johanna Hester, AFSCME/UDW Loc. 3930 Assistant Executive Dir.
2nd Vice President
Johanna Hester’s dedication to working families began in the 1990s when she successfully organized 2,000 recreation and park assistants in Los Angeles as Lead Organizer for AFSCME. Since her early organizing days, Johanna has become a formidable labor leader, champion for home care providers, and outspoken advocate for the immigrant and civil rights of workers. She currently represents the United Domestic Workers (UDW), is an International Vice President of AFSCME, and is 2nd Vice President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). Johanna also recently completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program with the Harvard Kennedy School.

Tracy Lai, AFT Seattle 1789, Co-President
Secretary
Tracy Lai is co-secretary for the Executive Board of Seattle Community Colleges Federation of Teachers. She is a member of both the national and Washington State AFT Civil and Human Rights Committees. Tracy teaches history full-time at Seattle Central Community College. She serves on the advisory board for the Evergreen State College’s Labor Center. Tracy also serves as the National Secretary of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO and as President of the APALA Seattle Chapter. Tracy went to China for her first time with the 2013 Fullbright-Hays Seminar Abroad: Social Sciences in China, June 19-July 19.

Michael Yee, IBEW 3,  Treasurer
Treasurer
In 1986 Michael Yee was initiated into the Division of Building Maintenance (the DBM) of Local Union No. 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.). From 1992 to 2007 Michael served in various positions within the DBM, including being the DBM Chairman from 2002 to 2007. Michael served as an instructor for several DBM mechanics training courses. In 2002 and 2004, Michael assisted in coordinating Training Expositions for the DBM JATC that showcased training and safety of current technology in the electrical maintenance industry. In March of 2005 he was appointed Technical Coordinator for the DBM. On December 11, 2006 the Local Union No. 3 Executive Board elected Michael as Treasurer of Local Union No. 3. On February 5, 2007 Michael was hired by the Educational and Cultural Trust Fund of the Electrical Industry as the Associate Director. In that capacity Michael has represented the industry on the Joint Industry Board Green Technology Committee, the NYC Green Jobs Roundtable Training Committee, and the US Green Building Council NYC Chapter’s Trade Certification Electrical Committee. In 2009 Michael oversaw the installation of 40kw and 50kw photovoltaic systems on two properties owned by the Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry.​

Board Members

Mary Anne Ahtye, UESF, AFT/NEA, Local 1100 Area Rep
Mary Anne Ahtye was a 12 year teacher in the Child Development Program in San Francisco Unified School District and worked for 20 years with United Educators of San Francisco as a Senior Field Rep. She retired in 2006 and remains active with APALA, UESF, CLUW and continues to travel the world. Mary Anne has lived in Novato for the last 30 years and commuted into San Francisco for work. She has been married for 35 years to her husband James L. Watkins, aka Larry. She has one step-daughter, Nicole Terry, and one granddaughter, Madison Terry. Mary Anne has been a UESF member in good standing for 32 years. At the beginning of her teaching career she volunteered to be the building representative at schools that she worked at and from there worked on various union campaigns including Summer of Support, San Francisco Organizing Project, and many election campaigns for union political endorsees. She also was the liaison for the UESF chapter of the Gay Lesbian United Educators (GLUE), one of the first non-minority committees of the union. In 1986 she was hired by the then president of the San Francisco Federation of Teachers, Joan Marie Shelley, to work as a field representative for the union. Mary Anne says, “In 1986 there were very few Asian union reps. We were not represented in the House of Labor. My union acknowledged that there was a need to have field representatives that reflected the Asian Pacific Islander teacher and paraprofessional population of San Francisco Unified and to her credit Joan Marie hired me to work for the union.”

Shwe Tun Aung, SIU/ITF, ITF Inspector
Shwe T. Aung left his home country of Burma during his final year in college to work on a ship in 1995. He soon discovered there were stark differences between working in union and non-union worksites. In Burma, “police arrest people for no reason to get bribes,” said Aung. One time he stood up to the police and told them that they were not supposed to be taking bribes and that he was going to report them to the Chief of Police. The officer immediately gave back his bribe money.

In Bangkok, General Secretary of the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB), Maung Maung asked Aung to join the union. Aung worked on trying to set up a Seafarers union in Burma.

In 1997-98, Aung was working on a ship with Burmese workers who did not get paid for 8 months. These workers were afraid to ask for their wages and passed through countries in Africa where there were weak unions. When they landed in Brazil, they called the ITF for help. The shipping company paid the Ambassador to intimidate the workers and threatened to put Aung in jail. Eventually, after meeting with the ITF Inspector, the Captain, and Ambassador, the workers obtained their unpaid wages. Radio Free Asia, the Asian version of Voice of America, conducted a story on the incident and interviewed Aung. He had to go back to Thailand because he had been placed on a blacklist for his union activities in Burma. He could not find a job because every agency knew him as a “troublemaker”.

Then, an opportunity came up to work with ITF. The ITF was planning to sail an Exhibition Ship for Labor issues around the world to educate about child labor, forced labor, and conditions facing seafarers. Aung was offered a contract as an “AB”, an Able-bodied Seaman. Eight days before the end of his contract in 2000, the ship sank in Venezuela’s Orinoco River as a result of a collision. “Nobody had anything except for the clothes on their backs,” said Aung.

Everyone obtained passports from their own countries. However, when Aung applied for a new passport, the Burmese government wanted to take him back to Burma. He sent a letter to the ITF. It took 9 months to get a passport. During that time, he had to report to the INS everyday. He didn’t speak Spanish and became depressed. Attached to Aung’s Burmese passport was a memo that indicated that he should return to Burma. If he were to come back to Burma, he would be jailed for his labor activism.

He applied for asylum. Once his application for Brazilian asylum was rejected, he applied to the Canadian Ambassador. The Canadian unions wanted to help him; however, the memo attached to his passport made it impossible to attain asylum. The ITF tried to bring him to London on a tourist visa since asylum applicants must be physically present to apply. Subsequently, he applied for a tourist visa and was rejected.

Fortunately, he received a six-month extension to stay in Rio Di Janeiro. With one day remaining on his extension, a ship docked for loading. The ITF had good relations with that ship and Aung joined the crew. Two months later, the ship came to the United States. The ITF called Dean Corgey at SIU in Houston. They hired a lawyer to go down to the docks and meet Shwe. Unfortunately, immigration officers got there first and Aung was taken to an immigration detention center. Aung was detained for a month through the Christmas and New Year holidays. Eventually, the immigration detention center released him until his court hearing. During his hearing, the judge presiding over Aung’s immigration case called Maung Maung in Thailand to confirm Aung’s story. Aung was then granted asylum.

After the hearing, SIU sent Aung to their Seamen School in Piney Point, MD. During his training, Aung applied to become an ITF Inspector, based at SIU. He didn’t have experience at inspections, but he said, “If you give me 6 months and I don’t do the job, I’ll quit.”

Today, Shwe helps mariners, union and non-union members, from around the world who dock in the ports of the Texas Gulf coast. He is thankful for the opportunity that SIU has given him. “Jimbo and Dean have been really good to me,” he says. Known for his tenacity in securing the wages owed to the workers, Shwe has dishonest ship captains quaking in their boots. Some ship owners think he’s being too strict, but Shwe says, “I just calculate what is owed to the workers, not one cent more, not a cent less.”

Luisa Blue, Executive Vice President, SEIU
Luisa Blue has dedicated the last four decades of her life to organizing and advocating for workers’ rights through the union. She previously served as the Chief Elected Officer of the SEIU Local 521 representing over 55,000 public service workers who provide vital community services from the Silicon Valley, down the Monterey-Santa Cruz Coast and into California’s Central Valley. In 1977, she worked as an RN at San Francisco General Hospital and joined the union where she become more empowered and active and helped organize a successful campaign that improved collective bargaining rights for county registered nurses. Luisa expanded the fight to unite nurses on a national level as a founding member of the SEIU Nurse Alliance. She has also served on the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Executive Board and served two terms as their national president.  She continues to lead in the advancement of AAPI worker’s rights, civil rights and economic justice.  

Josie Camacho, WA/Alameda Labor Council, Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Camacho is an Oakland native and one of 10 children raised by parents from Guam. She began her career as a telephone operator, worked in Oakland as member of SEIU, then rose to become an SEIU organizer for 15 years. Camacho was a founder of the national Asian Pacific Islander constituency group, APALA, and has served on the board of Asian Immigrant Women Advocates and Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s advisory committee. She and her husband, Victor Uno, a leader in the electricians union IBEW Local 595, were honored by the Council in 2007. Before coming to the Labor Council, Camacho was Director of Constituent Services for Oakland Mayor Dellums from 2007-09. Camacho led the Council during Cornu’s recent leave of absence to serve as national field director for the AFL-CIO Labor 2010 election campaign. During those six months, Camacho led the Council’s largest political program in its history, winning 53 of 59 top priority races.

David Carpio, AFL-CIO
David Carpio is the National Education and Training Coordinator at the AFL-CIO. A biologist by training, he led an organizing drive of fellow researchers with the UAW while at Columbia University in New York. Eventually hired as an organizer by the UAW, he went on to organize several union campaigns over the next five years. David eventually left to begin work as a field director and campaign manager on a string of successful political campaigns at the local and statewide level, later rejoining the labor movement with the AFL-CIO in 2006. There, he conducts trainings and develops educational materials on organizing, politics, and communications. His programs and materials train over 4,000 union activists and staff each year. He is also at the helm of the AFL-CIO’s ballot initiative work and recently served as the National GOTV (Get-Out-The-Vote) Coordinator for Labor during the 2008 presidential campaign, coordinating the mobilization of over 12 million union voters in 20 states.

Virginia Eng, AFT/UFT Local 2, Treasurer of NY Chapter​
Virginia Eng is the treasurer of APALA New York Chapter and is currently serving on the APALA National Executive Board. Sister Eng is an active member of the American Federation of Teachers local UFT for over 35 years and has worked as a second language teacher and educational assistant. She is also a member of UFT Asian American Heritage Committee. Sister Eng was born in Brooklyn, New York and is of Chinese-American heritage.

Sandra Engle, UAW
No biography available



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Peter A. Ganaban, LiUNA Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer
No biography available.



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Tichakorn Hill, AFGE, Writer
​Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand and currently residing in Washington, D.C. as a writer, Ms. Hill’s debut novel is entitled From Bangkok with Despair: (mis)adventures in D.C.. The story is a romantic comedy about a Thai journalist who flees her chaotic life in Bangkok in search of a supposedly better life in America, the country of her dreams.
​

Alex Hing, UNITE-HERE 6
​​Alex Hing was born and grew up in San Francisco Chinatown. He has been active in progressive politics since college when he ran for student body president leading a free speech slate at City College of San Francisco. Like many youth of that time, Hing dropped out of college (UC Berkeley) to become active in the Sixties Movements. He got a job as a dishwasher and janitor in a coffeehouse and joined the Miscellaneous Culinary Workers Union, Local 110 in 1967. He has been a member of the union and a restaurant worker ever since.

In 1967, Alex registered African American voters in the Fillmore to put the Peace and Freedom Party on the ballot in California with Eldridge Cleaver for President. In 1968, Alex rode in a bus caravan across the South as part of the SCLC led Poor Peoples Campaign honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated that year. The campaign united poor people nationwide to camp out in Washington, D.C. and lobby for everything from Chicano land rights to full employment, education, health care and housing for all. During that campaign Hing met only two other Asian Americans, so he was determined to promote the Movement in his community when he returned home.

With the help of jobless youth, Hing participated in the founding of the Red Guard Party, promoting a platform similar to that of the Black Panthers, but in the Chinese American community. The Red Guard’s first activity was to provide support for the Third World Liberation Strike at San Francisco State College, which led to the establishment of Ethnic Studies. The party also initiated a successful petition campaign to rescue the only TB testing center in Chinatown and joined with other groups to promote better education, prevent the destruction of low-cost housing (including the International Hotel), oppose the Vietnam War and call for US recognition of the People’s Republic of China. Because of these activities, Alex was invited to join a Black Panther Party led delegation to Asia in 1970. Due to police repression, the Red Guards was forced to disband. In 1972, Hing participated in the creation of Asian Legal Services, which provided draft counseling to hundreds of Asian American youth to escape being drafted into the war as well as assisting military personnel in becoming conscientious objectors.

During the ‘70‘s, after the culinary craft unions merged to form the Hotel and Restaurant and Bartenders International Union, Alex joined the successful ten year organizing campaign to win democracy for the rank and file, in opposition to the inept, entrenched leadership of the local. As a part of this struggle, Hing was elected to the citywide negotiating committee of Local 2 and helped lead the historic four week Hotel Strike of 1980 which won significant gains for the members.

Teresa Idris, IFPTE, General Counsel
​Teresa Idris is General Counsel of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), AFL-CIO & CLC, an international union representing workers in professional, technical, administrative, and associated occupations in the public and private sectors in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to coming to IFPTE, she was a staff attorney for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFL-CIO, representing teachers, public employees, paraprofessionals, and healthcare workers. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and George Washington University, and is a proud resident of Washington, D.C.
​

Arlene Inouye, AFT/UTLA Local 1021, Treasurer
Arlene Inouye was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Clover Avenue Elementary, Webster Junior High, and University High School. Her grandparents immigrated from Japan to Boyle Heights, and her family was incarcerated during World War II. Three generations of her family have attended LAUSD schools. She has a BA and MA in communicative disorders from Long Beach State University. She has been a Spanish bilingual speech and language specialist for 18 years in the East and North areas and has also been an adult education teacher, master teacher and mentor, multicultural and human relations trainer, school reform trainer, and financial manager of a nonprofit organization.

Stan Kiino, AFA-CWA Local 29011, Council Representative
No biography available.

Gemma De Leon-Lopresti, Director of Strategic Planning, RWDSU-UFCW
Gemma de Leon is an immigrant from the Philippines, moving to the U.S. as a child.  Prior to joining the union, de Leon worked at Alexander's department store and C-town supermarkets. She worked her way through college, earning her B.A. in public administration and M.B.A. from St. John’s University. She became involved in RWDSU Local 1102, starting out as an office worker while still in school, and currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the New York local.

She has directed Local 1102's health and pension department, and coordinated the local's field staff as Assistant to the President. She also served Local 1102 as Executive Vice-President before becoming Secretary-Treasurer. De Leon led the successful organizing campaign at H & M department stores in Manhattan which has resulted in over 1,200 retail workers joining the union.

She serves on executive board for the Health and Welfare council of Long Island, a nonprofit that advocates for needy and disabled children. She also serves on the board of Molloy College's Energeia Partnership, a regional stewardship leadership program, and is the Vice-President of the Association of Benefit Administrators.

De Leon continues to serve as a Local 1102 union officer in addition to her role as Executive Vice President of the RWDSU.  As Executive Vice President, de Leon is focusing on the deteriorating conditions faced by retail workers, using her own experience in the non-food retail workplace to help the RWDSU fight to make these jobs - and the live of retail workers - better.

Susan Li, SEIU Local 721
No biography available. 




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Steven Moy, IBEW 3, Member
Steven Moy is a second generation “A” construction electrician. He was initiated into Local Union #3 in 1994. He graduated the apprenticeship in 1999. He also received his Associate Degree in Labor Studies from Empire State College.

Through the years he took courses that the Joint Industry Board offered. These courses he undertook were Exhibition Wiring Course, Lock Out Tag, OSHA Safety, OSHA 10 hour, High Voltage Theory and High Voltage Testing. Taking these courses allowed him to become a foreman and work as a High Voltage Tester throughout the years.

When he came into Local Union #3 he joined the Chinese American Cultural Society in 1994. Through the years the Chinese American Cultural Society was renamed the Asian American Cultural Society. In 2004 he became the Corresponding Secretary for the Asian American Cultural Society. In 2008 he became the Vice President for the Asian American Cultural Society to fill the unexpired term of James T Chin who had retired. In 2009 he became the President of the Asian American Cultural Society and still holds that position currently.

He also volunteers as a Bootcamp Mentor. He is also a member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), Electrical Minority Workers Caucus of the IBEW (EWMC), Sportsmen’s Club of Local Union #3 and the Allied Club of Queens Local Union #3. He also bowls in the Local Union #3 IBEW bowling League.

Ahmed Shakir, Local 375, DC 37, AFSCME Secretary
Shakir arrived in the United States in 1969. He received his B.S. and M.S. in structural engineering from the University of Texas. As a student he was active in international, Indian, and Muslim student associations because of his deep interest in social, community, and political activities. This initial commitment stemmed from his belief that everyone should dedicate some of their time to improving and serving their community.

Over the past 20 years, Shakir has been extremely involved in the union and labor activities. As a Treasurer of FIA since 2009, Shakir is bringing new sponsors for FIA and helps FIA to connect with Senators, Congressmen and Political leaders at City and at the State level. Among his peers and colleagues, Shakir has come to be seen as a man who promotes the idea and practice of tolerance in every facet of life. He believes that people should work together regardless of nationality, religion, or race, because peace and prosperity can only be achieved through non-violence, patience, and service to the needy Shakir’s message to our community in the USA is to come together and let us take a leadership role in our adopted country.

Amy Shih, APWU, Trustee in Houston Local/Stewards
Ms. Shih was born in Taiwan. In 1987, her family moved to the United States, where in 1989 she began her postal career at Hayward Post Office in California. In 1997, Ms. Shih transferred to the Tomball Postal Office in Tomball, Texas. She is currently the Lead-7 for her office. In 2002, Ms. Shih began her involvement with the American Postal Worker Union (APWU), which opened many leadership roles for her. She currently serves as the Union Steward for several Houston Associate Offices, the APWU Houston Area Local Trustee, the APWU Houston Power Treasurer, and the elected delegate to the State and National convention.

Mark Taylor, UAW
No biography available. 

Maf Misbah Uddin, Local 1407 AFSCME, President
Maf Misbah Uddin was born in Bangladesh. His father was a leader from Bengal who was jailed together with Mahatma Gandhi during the non-violence movement against British colonialism. He attended the University of Dhaka where he attained two Masters Degrees, the first in Mathematics and the second in Demography where he was first in his graduating class.

In 1984 Maf obtained a Graduate Teaching Assistantship to study in the United States of America at Ball State University in Indiana. There Mr. Uddin attained his third Masters Degree in Actuarial Science. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Uddin went to Albany to work as an Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement System. Two years later he moved to New York City and joined the Office of the Actuary to work for the City’s five retirement systems.

Maf became active in union politics as soon as he joined the City workforce in 1988. In 1992, he became an Executive Board Member of Local 1407 which represents the City’s Accountants, Statisticians, and Actuaries. In May of 2000 Mr. Uddin ran a brilliant campaign and unseated a two term incumbent by more than a two to one margin to become President of Local 1407 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2003. Today he is the only Local President of Bangladeshi origin in the United States of America to lead a municipal union.

In 2001 he was appointed as the Secretary-Treasurer of the District Council 37 Fallen Heroes Fund after the 9/11 tragedy. In 2002 he was elected vice president of DC 37. He also serves DC 37 on the Asian Heritage committee as chairman, on the Screening committee as a member, and as a Trustee of the Education Fund. As chairman of the Asian Heritage Committee he brings Asian culture, food, and music to share with the entire DC 37 Family. He has increased committee membership, participation in monthly meetings, voter registration, and political activities during election time. In the final event in May of every year more than 500 people join him in celebrating Asian Heritage here at the Council. Mr. Uddin is also a member of the Professional Committee of the International Union, AFSCME since 2002.

In January of 2004, Maf Misbah Uddin became the Treasurer of DC 37, an umbrella organization of 56 municipal unions with 125,000 members. Mr. Uddin is proud and honored to have attained one of the most prestigious and important positions in the New York City Labor movement. In September of 2004 he was elected as Vice-Chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, a coalition of 97 unions with over 300,000 members, the first time that a President of Local 1407 has held this position in 53 years.

Mr. Uddin is also very active in his community and from 1993 has served as one of the Board of Directors of The Parkchester Condominium Complex in the Bronx which is the largest Condominium development in the United States. As Treasurer of the Board he was instrumental in negotiating a $130 million renovation project with the Community Preservation Corporation and a consortium of twelve banks. Later as President of the Board, under his guidance, the actual renovation work was completed ahead of schedule.

If Mr. Uddin is not occupied with his professional duties he enjoys spending time with his family. He is married for over 21 years and the proud father of five children ranging in age from eight to twenty.​

Kent Wong, AFT/UCLA Labor Center, Director
Kent Wong is Director of the Center for Labor Research and Education at UCLA, where he teaches Labor Studies and Asian American Studies. Keng served as the Founding President of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO, the first national organization of Asian union members and workers. He previously was staff attorney for the Service Employees International Union, #660, representing Los Angeles County workers. Kent also worked as the first staff attorney for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, where he developed programs to serve the needs of Asian American workers. From 200-2002, Kent served as the President of the United Association for Labor Education, a national organization of labor educators from unions and universities. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the International federation of Worker Education Associations. Kent has been actively developing international labor exchange programs in the Pacific Rim with China, Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Kent writes extensively on labor issues, and co-edited a book entitled Teaching for Change: Popular Education and the Labor Movement. He has published two other books: Voices for Justice: Asian Pacific American Organizers and the New American Labor Movement, which has been translated into Chinese and Japanese, and Voices from the Front Lines: Organizing Immigrant Workers in Los Angeles, a bilingual English-Spanish Publication that is now in its second printing.

Kent Wong is married to Jai Lee Wong, and they have two sons.​