February 2014 Newsletter
APALA Chapters
Renew your 2014 membership today!  

Alameda 

Hawaii

Los Angeles  

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

New Jersey

New York

Nevada

Orange County

Oregon

San Diego  

San Francisco

San Jose/Santa Clara/San Mateo

Seattle  

Texas

Washington, D.C. 

API Workers Congress
APALA LA and its partners are hosting the first ever API Workers Congress, a conference convening to discuss API workers' issues in the Los Angeles area. API workers, union leaders, union staff, student and community activists, allied worker centers, and social justice organizations will gather to discuss, engage, and develop skills to build the power of working people so that they can make the changes they envision for LA and beyond. 
 
Energetic plenary sessions will highlight solidarity, major advances, and challenges. The themes of their workshops are Organizing, Political Campaigning, Communications, and Immigration. The congress is free and a continental breakfast and lunch will be available for all attendees. 

You are strongly urged to register in advance.
When: Saturday, March 15th, 2014
9 am - 2 pm (Registration begins at 8:30 am)

Where: SEIU Local 721
1545 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Chapter Highlights
Alameda

On January 29th, APALA Alameda Chapter honored Alameda District Attorney Nancy O'Malley for her efforts protecting workers against wage theft during their Lunar New Year Event.

  

Los Angeles

 

APALA LA joined NCRR [Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress], JACL, JANM and others on February 15th in observation of the annual Day of Remembrance commemorating the signing of Executive Order 9066 that forced over 120,000 Japanese-Americans into federal detention camps during World War II on the theme, "Generations Speak Out!"
 
Michigan

APALA Michigan hosted a Lunar New Year membership drive lunch as they continue to fight for voters rights for the AAPI community in Michigan. 

 

New York

Congresswoman Grace Meng joined over 100 APALA NY members/leaders to celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year at the APALA NY Annual Holiday Party on January 24th. 

 

San Diego

Councilman David Alvarez joined APALA San Diego in welcoming the Year of the Horse at the San Diego Tet Festival.
 
San Francisco

After hosting 2 Typhoon Haiyan relief fundraisers on December 21 and January 28, the Officers of APALA SF endorsed a check in the amount of $2,123.00 to Terry Valens, National President of NAFCON, USA and to Rachel Redondiez, a NAFCON member and representative of Gabriela, USA.

 
Seattle

APALA Seattle mobilized members of their community to take part in relief efforts for the Typhoon Victims in the Philippines. 

 
Texas
The Texas Chapter consistently registers voters on the ground in preparation for the big election coming up. 
 
Washington DC
APALA DC members joined Jobs with Justice in their fight against metro fare increases and rallied against WMATA's employee background check policy.
Message from the President

 APALA San Diego held a candlelight vigil for Typhoon Haiyan victims on December 6th and will donate $1,000 to NAFCON to support relief efforts.

As Valentine's Day passes, our hearts go out to those affected by the destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan. The storm took place within the course of a few hours, but building the road to recovery is still underway. The devastation of the aftermath has caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage while leaving 6,000 dead, 27,000 injured, and over 4 million people displaced.

 

3 months after Typhoon Yolanda hit, the debris clogging the streets have started to clear. Relief services are finally able to make their way to communities inhabiting areas away from the mainland, but many still do not have access to clean water, shelter, and medical treatment. In some cities like Tacloban, 90% of structures were either destroyed or damaged by the storm.

 

APALA leaders are directly involved in support relief efforts in the Philippines. Our sister Luisa Blue, SEIU 521 Chief Elected Officer and APALA National Executive Board Member, mobilized her members and SEIU leaders nationwide to provide financial contributions and/or medical volunteer support. SEIU and their affiliates have already raised more than $500,000 and are working to raise $1 million to fund reconstruction efforts. Furthermore, sister Gloria Caoile, APALA National Political Director and AFSCME Retiree, has been working tirelessly for months contributing on the ground relief efforts in the Philippines through Feed the Hungry, Inc.

 

APALA will continue to act in solidarity and lead the way to provide the Philippines with essential humanitarian aid. Whether our help comes from donations or through advocating for Temporary Protected Status for the Philippines, the impact of our collective efforts will greatly help our misfortunate brothers and sisters. Visit the Feed the Hungry, Inc. and National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) websites to find ways to get involved or make donations. We must continue to move the Philippines from a place of relief to a place of recovery.

 

In Solidarity,

 

 Call the Department of State to Grant TPS for the Philippines Today!
Take Action Now!
Call Secretary Kerry today (202-647-5291) and demand that the Department of Homeland Security grant Temporary Protected Status to the Philippines!
 
APALA members nationwide continue to raise awareness about the extreme conditions in the Philippines. APALA is proud to be a member of Relief 2 Recovery, a coalition advocating for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the Philippines. If granted, TPS provides Filipino nationals protection from deportation, authorization to work, and eligibility to travel. Recently, APALA Executive Director Gregory Cendana penned a Letter to the Editor in the New York Times 
 
  
Generational Alliance Call with Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi
On February 4th, APALA joined Generational Alliance and The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights as they hosted House Leader Nancy Pelosi on a call discussing Congressional civil and human rights priorities this year. Congresswoman Pelosi outlined an "A,B,C" approach Congress is taking to improve economic opportunities to build an America that works for all families. With an emphasis on not rewarding companies that favor outsourcing jobs, building more efficient infrastructure, and community input on how to revitalize individual communities, Congress hopes that their "A,B,C" initiative can help create jobs in America moving forward. "Leader Pelosi's call to action confirmed the need for our community, especially younger generations, to stay committed to advocating for an economy that ensures all hard-working Americans are granted the dignity of a job and a fair living wage," said Elisa Eap, APALA DC Member.
Unemployment Insurance
Unemployment Insurance (UI) is imperative for the most vulnerable individuals in our community. After tallying a final vote of 55-42, Senate fell 5 votes short to extend federal UI benefits. Although the proposed bill met the conditions outlined by the GOP, this marks the third time UI has been blocked. The time is now to mobilize to make sure we pass the UI extension. We cannot let Congress abandon 1.7 million jobless workers. Click HERE to see APALA's response to the Senate failing to extend UI and call Congress now at 845-809-4509 to demand that they get to work on extending UI benefits.
 

APALA Partners with the Philippine Embassy and Own the Dream
Only a mere 4,000 or 16% of qualified AAPI candidates have applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). APALA, Own the Dream, and the Philippine Embassy entered into a formal partnership to encourage Filipino youth to learn more about DACA and increase the number of Filipino applications. On February 3rd, the group joined efforts to hold an immigrant stakeholder meeting with the Philippine Consulate in New York. Organize and educate eligible youth to apply for DACA in your community! The latest DACA stats are available HERE.

 

New NCAPA Chair Elected
The National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) elected new leadership for 2014-2016. The Executive Committee consists of leaders from the various 31 national Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) organizations. Our very own Executive Director Gregory Cendana was elected to lead the coalition's governing body as the Chair of NCAPA. Others elected include:
 
Vice Chair of Programs: Mee Moua (Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice)
Vice Chair of Membership: Priscilla Ouchida (Executive Director, Japanese American Citizens League)
Vice Chair of Communications and Development: Mirriam Yeung (Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum)
Secretary: Jasjit Singh (Executive Director, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund)
Treasurer: Lisa Hasegawa (Executive Director, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development)
The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO was founded in 1992
as the first and only national organization for Asian Pacific American union members to advance
worker, immigrant and civil rights. For more information, visit www.apalanet.org and follow @APALAnational 
  
 
  

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