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APALA Celebrates House Passage of Raise the Wage Act

7/18/2019

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

APALA Celebrates House Passage of Raise the Wage Act

Washington, DC - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Raise the Wage Act that would gradually increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour by 2025 and phaseout the subminimum wage for tipped workers, youth workers, and Americans with disabilities. APALA applauds the Congressmen, grassroots advocates and working people who successfully organized to increase the minimum wage for the first time in 10 years.

Executive Director of Chinese Progressive Association and APALA Massachusetts Member Karen Chen comments, “This is a major win for us. I work with working immigrants every day. I see the devastating impact of wages that do not meet the rising cost of living, especially in cities like Boston. Under the current federal minimum wage, our people are struggling to pay rent, buy food, see healthcare professionals, and simply live. When over half a million Asian American and Pacific Islanders work as cooks, servers, or maids and one in five Indonesian workers hold these low-wage jobs, I am grateful to know that the passage of the Raise the Wage Act means that these workers will see their annual earnings rise by $1,600.”

Now that the Raise the Wage Act has passed the House, we will continue the fight in the Senate.

APALA Urges Congress to Pass the Reuniting Families Act

7/17/2019

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

APALA Urges Congress to Pass the Reuniting Families Act

Washington, DC - Today, Representative Judy Chu (CA-27) introduced the Reuniting Families Act that would protect and strengthen family-based immigration pathways and the diversity immigration visa program. The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO urges Congress to support the rich, vibrant, and multicultural communities that working immigrants and their families have built in America by passing the Reuniting Families Act.

APALA National Vice President Kim Geron and CFA member stated: “When 65% of overall immigration is made possible through the family-based system, it is critical that we double down on protecting the immigration pathways that have enabled many of us to sponsor or be sponsored by our parents, children, and siblings to live, work, and be with our families in the U.S. The Reuniting Families Act provides protections for LGBTQ families, women and children, and addresses the decades long backlog 4.4 million spouses and children face in order to reunite with their family members. We believe that all working people and immigrants deserve to be with their families and communities. That’s why we are joining the Value Our Families coalition, advocates from across the nation, and Congressional representatives at the Capitol to celebrate the reintroduction of the Reuniting Families Act and urge for its immediate passage.”

APALA National 2nd Vice President and UDW/ AFSCME Local 3930 Assistant Executive Director Johanna Hester shares: “My father left for the United States when I was barely two years old. He wanted to find opportunities to raise us that would provide a better future. Because of the visa backlogs, he wasn’t able to successfully sponsor me until I was 15 years old. I then had to wait until I turned 21 years old to sponsor my mom to join us. We were all different people by the time we reunited - there was so much lost time in getting to know each other. I hope that other families like mine will continue to be able to reunite and even sooner. We need policies like the Reuniting Families Act to protect immigrant families.”

Please sign this petition and call your Representative to support the Reuniting Families Act. We have to show them that working people and immigrants believe that all families belong together.
Sign the Petition: bit.ly/apala4rfa

Call 1-877-782-8274 to get connected to your member of Congress. You will likely get connected to the represetantive’s staffer. The following is an example of what you can say:

“Hi, my name is [NAME]. I am a member of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and I am calling from [CITY, STATE]. When 65% of overall immigration is made possible through the family-based system, it is critical that we double down on protecting the immigration pathways that have enabled many Asian American and Pacific Islanders to be with their families. Congress must act now to protect immigrant families by passing the Reuniting Families Act. I am calling to ask that [insert your representative’s name] support the Reuniting Families Act and vote down any amendments that would weaken the bill. Thank you.”
For more information about the Reuniting Families Act, please check out this Value Our Families Resource.

SCOTUS Decision Supports a Fair and Accurate Census Count

6/27/2019

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2019
Contact: apala@apalanet.org

Washington, DC - The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling to temporarily halt the Trump administration’s effort to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. While this fight is not over yet, APALA applauds this decision to uphold the Constitutional right to fair representation. Census data helps determine how the federal and local governments distribute more than $800 billion annually — shaping where government officials build schools, roads, and hospitals, and fund other essential programs and services. The Census is the sole determinant of congressional representation among the states and an accurate Census is critical to equal representation through redistricting. Including a citizenship question would have prevented many immigrant communities from getting counted and therefore denied us the right to the resources we need and the representation we deserve.

APALA National President Monica Thammarath of the National Education Association stated: “Shame on the Trump administration for trying to undercount our communities as a way to exacerbate systemic inequalities. Getting an accurate count in the 2020 Census is one of the most important ways we can secure fair political representation and access to good jobs, good schools, and healthy communities. They cannot squeeze us out of getting our fair share of funding.”

APALA National Executive Board member and Pittsburgh Chapter President Sabrina Yow-chyi Liu stated: “Regardless of the final decision to include a citizenship question in the 2020 Census, we will continue our on-the-ground efforts to turn out as many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as possible for the 2020 Census — especially since many in our communities are considered hard-to-count, like limited-English speakers, low-income folks, immigrants, and young children. We have Civic Engagement fellows in three AAPI-dense areas, connections with Census coalitions nationally and locally, and tools and grants for our chapters to get involved, all with the purpose of fighting for our future.”

Join us in the 2020 Census fight by:

Making a pledge to get counted 
Joining an action near you to uplift the issue

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APALA Celebrates House Passage of Raise the Wage Act

APALA Urges Congress to Pass the Reuniting Families Act

SCOTUS Decision Supports a Fair and Accurate Census Count

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