By Gloria T. Caoile, Director of Civic Engagement / Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance NV
THIS Labor Day is unlike what we have experienced in our lifetimes. While the COVID-19 pandemic has eliminated our time-honored tradition of parades and picnics, it has not dissuaded Asian Pacific American workers from celebrating Labor Day and reflecting on what still needs to be done.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Asian Pacific Americans were relegated to the lowest-paying jobs and worst working conditions. They worked in agriculture, railroad construction, mining, manufacturing, taking jobs that no one else wanted. Despite legal and political barriers, racial animosity, and the disregard of the larger labor movement, our early pioneers persevered in their fight to improve their working conditions.
Times have changed. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act prohibiting racially segregated labor unions, changes in immigration laws, and multiplicity of language and technical skills, APA union membership rapidly increased. Workers in the garment, restaurant, hotel services were unionized. So were the more educated who secured employment in professional and technical occupations such as nurses and engineers
On this Labor Day, we need to celebrate our victories and accomplishments.
More importantly, we need to express our gratitude to the countless essential workers who are risking their lives to keep us safe. A vast majority of the healthcare workers in hospitals and care facilities in the Las Vegas area are APA workers. They are our heroes.
This pandemic is underscoring the inequalities in our social and economic structure. Many APA workers in the hospitality industry have lost their jobs and health insurance. Being a union member may provide some protection in seniority, but the economic collapse brought about by hotel and casino closures has devastated families.
We need to act and support leaders who are committed to putting an end to this health and economic crisis!
Whether or not you belong to a union, you need to vote. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
So much is at stake this election so please do not take it for granted. Please vote.
