Finding Aid to the Katie Quan Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) collection
Finding aid prepared by Wendy Welker
Labor Archives and Research Center
2019
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722
larc@sfsu.edu
Title: Katie Quan Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) collection
Date (inclusive): 1988-1998
Creator:
Quan, Katie
Physical Description:
3.75 Cubic Feet
(3 cartons)
Collection number: larc.ms.0419
Accession number: 2016/003
Repository:
Labor Archives and Research Center
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
Abstract: Comprises notes, correspondence, memos, agendas, minutes, reports, convention materials, rosters, press material and other
organizational documents collected and generated by Katie Quan in her role as a founding member of the Asian Pacific American
Alliance (APALA). APALA, a nationwide organization of Asian Pacific American trade unionists formed under the auspices of
the AFL-CIO, was created in response to the working conditions, concerns and aspirations of Asian Pacific American workers.
Physical Location: Materials are stored offsite; requires advance notice.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Some material is restricted to protect personal identifiable information. Access restrictions
are noted at the file level. Please contact the Director of the Labor Archives and Research Center for more information.
Acquisition
Donated by Katie Quan in 2016.
Arrangement
Arranged as received. Quan's folder titles were retained.
Biographical Note
Katie Quan, one of the leading Asian Americans in the U. S. labor movement, has been involved in the Asian American community
since her student days at the University of California, Berkeley, when she worked with Oakland-based civil rights groups.
In 1975, Quan moved to New York City and worked as a sewing machine operator in a Chinatown garment factory. She joined the
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) that same year, and then became a shop steward in 1982. She went on
to join the union staff as an educator and an organizer. During her years in New York City, Quan helped establish a day care
center for garment workers and helped organize the Chinese Committee of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, a political and
social group for Chinese seamstresses. She returned to San Francisco in 1990 to take on the position of manager of the Pacific
Northwest District Council of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees Union (UNITE), and in 1992 she was instrumental
in establishing the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), a nationwide group of Asian Pacific unionists formed under
the auspices of the AFL-CIO. She served as the vice president of APALA and international vice president of ILGWU and its
successor, UNITE. Quan's husband, Richard Leung, president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 87, was
also a founding member of APALA and he served as its treasurer.
Historical Note
Founded in 1992 the Asian Pacific American Alliance (APALA) is the first and only National organization of Asian Americans
and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers, whose mission is to advance worker, immigrant and civil rights. In 1990, AAPI labor
activists approached the AFL-CIO with a proposal to form a national AAPI group. A year later, the AFL-CIO Executive Council
established a committee to explore the formation of a national AAPI labor group. The 37-member Steering Committee was formed
from representatives of the three regional AAPI labor groups, the Hawaii State AFL-CIO, and seven founding unions. In 1992,
over 500 labor activists from around the country convened in Washington, D.C. for the founding of APALA.
General
Some material is duplicated across series.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Katie Quan Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) collection, larc.ms.0419, Labor Archives
and Research Center, San Francisco State University.
Processing information
Collection was processed by Wendy Welker in 2019.
Content Description
Comprises notes, correspondence, memos, agendas, minutes, reports, convention materials, rosters, press material and other
organizational documents collected and generated by Katie Quan in her role as a founding member of the Asian Pacific American
Alliance (APALA). APALA, a nationwide organization of Asian Pacific American trade unionists formed under the auspices of
the AFL-CIO, was created in response to the working conditions, concerns and aspirations of Asian Pacific American workers.
The material in this collection evidences APALA's focus on recruiting a new generation as labor organizers, forging labor-community
alliances, supporting civil rights legislation, securing fair representation for Asian Pacific Americans at all levels of
politics, and advancing Asian Pacific American political power.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
Asian Americans -- Employment.
Pacific Islander Americans -- Employment.
Labor unions -- Organizing -- California.
Series 1:
Conventions and conferences
1989-1997
Physical Description: 58 folders (Carton 1, folders 1-42; Carton 2, folders 1-16)
Scope and Contents
Contains convention and conference programs, budgets, reports, registration material, agendas, minutes, rosters, newsletters,
correspondence, delegate selection documents, articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws, memos, Quan's notes, and
press materials. The National Founding Convention files contain a significant amount of pre-founding material from when the
Ad Hoc Committee of San Francisco Asian American trade union officers was creating an Asian Pacific American labor support
group, sometimes called the Asian Pacific American Labor Committee. These pre-founding files contain documents on the AFL-CIO
initiative to form a National Asian Pacific American Labor organization, the outlines of the organization and how it will
be established, notes on putting together a National Steering Committee, and the process of planning a founding convention.
The New York National Convention files include material on APALA's response to proposed immigration reform legislation that
would introduce cuts in legal immigration. The San Francisco National Convention files include a proposed organizing curriculum
and a resources guide to rebuilding the labor movement.
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Founding National Convention, Washington D.C., 1992 April 30-May 2
carton 1, folder 1
Asian labor meeting notes (Pre-founding)
1990-1991
carton 1, folder 2
Asian Pacific American labor support material (Pre-founding)
1989-1992
carton 1, folders 3-4
Steering Committee of the Asian Pacific American Support Group (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 5
Preparatory notes for June 21, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1990-1991
carton 1, folder 6
Notes from June 21, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 7
Follow-up notes on June 21, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 8
Notes from September 1-2, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 9
Follow-up notes on September 1-2, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 10
Notes from October 25-26, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1989-1991
Notes on Contents
Includes initial versions of APALA logo that were never used.
carton 1, folder 11
Follow-up notes on October 25-26, 1991 Steering Committee meeting (Pre-founding)
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 12
Steering Committee rosters (Pre-founding)
1991
carton 1, folder 13
Asian Pacific American Labor Committee (APALC) Interim Coordinator search (Pre-founding)
1990-1991
carton 1, folder 14
Official AFL-CIO communiques
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 15
Membership and Budget Subcommittee
1991
carton 1, folder 16
Preparatory notes for March 27-28, 1992 Steering Committee meeting
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 17
Notes from March 27-28, 1992 Steering Committee meeting
1991-1992
carton 1, folders 18-19
Follow-up notes on March 27-28, 1992 Steering Committee meeting
1991-1992
Restrictions
Restricted sealed envelope contains letters to applicants who were not chosen for Executive Director position of APALA, dated
April 2, 1992.
carton 1, folder 20
Convention Subcommittee
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 21
Reception for Steering Committee
1992
carton 1, folder 23
Constitution and By-laws Subcommittee notes
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 24
By-laws and articles of incorporation
1991
carton 1, folder 25
Drafts of constitution
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 28
Convention agenda
1989-1992
carton 1, folder 31
Convention correspondence
1991-1992
carton 1, folder 32
Convention materials
1992
carton 1, folder 33
Convention materials (Loose contents from Katie Quan's binder of convention materials)
1992
carton 1, folder 34
Opening speech by Katie Quan
1992
carton 1, folder 35
Convention resolutions
1992
National Convention, Los Angeles, 1993 August 19-22
carton 1, folders 38-40
Constitution Committee
1993
carton 1, folder 41
Delegates and registration
1993
carton 1, Folder 42, carton 2, folders 1-2
Convention materials
1993
Leadership and Education Conference, Seattle, 1994 August 5-7
carton 2, folders 3-4
Conference materials
1993-1994
National Convention, New York City, 1995 August 3-6
carton 2, folder 5
Constitution Committee
1995-1996
Scope and Contents
Folder includes one floppy disk containing constitution.
carton 2, folders 6-7
Convention materials
1994-1995
Organizing Asian Pacific Workers Conference, San Diego, 1996 August 2-4
carton 2, folders 8-9
Conference materials
circa 1995-1996
National Convention, San Francisco, 1997 August 7-10
carton 2, folder 10
Constitution Committee
1997
carton 2, folder 11
Media Subcommittee
1997
Note on Contents
Folder includes four photographs taken during the convention, one of them showing APALA delegates demonstrating at Fisherman's
Wharf against H and N Fish Company.
carton 2, folder 12
Convention attendees
1997
carton 2, folders 13-14
Convention materials
1996-1997
carton 2, folder 16
Official Convention Materials booklet
1997
Series 2:
Committees
1989-1994
Physical Description: 4 folders (Carton 2, folders 17-20)
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Contents
Materials from various committees comprising correspondence, meeting agendas and notes, demographics material, membership
brochures and statistics, reference material on organizing, and documents on the APALA and AFL-CIO Organizing Institute joint
training project.
carton 2, folder 17
Organizing Committee
1988-1994, bulk 1992-1994
carton 2, folder 18
Membership Committee
1993-1994
carton 2, folder 19
AFL-CIO Asian Pacific American Labor Committee
1990
carton 2, folder 20
Los Angeles Regional Advisory Committee
1990
Series 3:
Events
1991-1992
Physical Description: 2 folders (Box 2, folders 21-22)
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Content
Consists of memos, correspondence, minutes and agendas concerning Solidarity Day (August 31, 1991), and APALA's first cultural
event with performances and activities (February 29, 1992). Includes Katie Quan's typed manuscript for her Solidarity Day
speech and Solidarity Day stickers.
carton 2, folder 22
APALA Cultural Event
1991-1992
Series 4:
Chapters and other groups
1990-1998
Physical Description: 7 folders (Box 2, folders 23-29)
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Contents
Contains various material from regional chapters of APALA and the Asian Labor Council and Alliance of Asian Pacific Labor.
Includes applications for membership, membership lists and surveys, memos, agendas, minutes, announcements, event flyers,
correspondence, and photocopies of published articles on APALA and Asian Pacific American issues. The Northern California
Chapter material includes a proposed constitution and by-laws of the San Francisco Chapter, a flyer on how to build an APALA
Chapter, short summaries of meetings in which members discussed the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute, lobbying on behalf of Wards
Cove workers, and the Voting Rights Act. The San Francisco Chapter material includes memos on APALA scholarships, San Francisco
Chapter work plans, support material on The Living Wage Initiative, and one copy of a letter to Bill Clinton opposing the
elimination of government benefits for legal immigrants, and one copy of a letter to Edward Kennedy urging him to move the
Justice for Wards Cove Act to the floor of the Senate. The Justice for Wards Cove Act sought to overturn the exemption of
Asian Pacific American workers at Wards Cove Cannery from the redress provided for in the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The Los
Angeles Chapter material includes notices concerning the human trafficking case involving Thai workers at the makeshift El
Monte garment factory and APALA's involvement in assisting the workers. It also contains a bulletin and support material
highlighting APALA's opposition to Proposition 187 ("Save Our State"), which denies government services to undocumented immigrants,
an APALA brochure in five languages, and an announcement and agenda for a Conference on Labor's Answer to Asian-Bashing.
The Asian Labor Council material includes an outline and draft of a proposal for an Asian Labor Council by the San Francisco
Ad Hoc Committee. The Alliance of Asian Pacific Labor material includes notice of AAPL's joining with the Hotel and Restaurant
Employees Union Local 11 to boycott Hyatt Hotels in Los Angeles, a summary report on the impact of a growing number of Asian
Pacific workers in various California industries, and an emergency appeal to support the striking workers of Radio Korea in
July, 1991.
carton 2, folder 23
Northern California Chapter
1991-1995
carton 2, folder 24
San Francisco Chapter
1991-1998
carton 2, folder 25
Los Angeles Chapter
1992-1996
carton 2, folder 26
Orange County Chapter
1992
carton 2, folder 27
New York Chapter
1992-1993
carton 2, folder 28
Asian Labor Council
circa 1990-1991
carton 2, folder 29
Alliance of Asian Pacific Labor (AAPL)
1990-1992
Series 5:
Administrative materials
1988-1998
Physical Description: 28 folders (Carton 2, folders 30-34; Carton 3, 1- 23)
Scope and Contents
Consists primarily of material relating to the National Executive Board, including procedures for Nominations Committee, configuration
of the Board, proposal for Executive Board membership, documents used in Executive Director search, specific Board meetings,
and general Board files. Also contains meeting agendas; budget proposals; financial statements and reports; drafts of constitution
and by-laws; convention resolutions, job announcements; demographics statistics; campus recruitment plans; labor surveys;
minutes with summaries on civil rights issues, community outreach, chapter development, and organizing topices, including
APALA/AFL-CIO Organizing Institute and Union Summers educational internship in union organizing. Includes memos on the enactment
of the Voting Rights Act, endorsements of Bill Clinton for president; drafts of article written by Quan about unions; joint
statement of Asian Pacific American Organizations on The Reintroduction of the Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act, delivered
by Matthew Finucane, Executive Director of APALA, on March 2, 1993 in Washington, D.C.; draft of advertisement opposing the
Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996; and briefing paper on growing anti-immigrant sentiment and resulting
scapegoating through legislation, and APALA's intention to fight anti-immigrant backlash and support immigrant rights. This
series also contains a folder on Secretary-Treasurer Pat Lee, which contains copies of publications she wrote or on which
she contributed, and a folder on Tony Sarmiento, Assistant Director of AFL-CIO Education Department, which consists of biographical
material.
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
carton 2, Folder 30
Executive Board composition
1991
carton 2, folders 31-32
Executive Director search
1991-1992
carton 2, folders 33-34, carton 3, folders 1-2
Executive Board
1992-1996
carton 3, folder 3
Executive Board meeting, 1993 April 2
1993
carton 3, folder 4
Executive Board meeting, 1994 March 4-5
circa 1990-1994
carton 3, folder 5
Executive Board meeting, 1995 March 10-11
1990-1995
carton 3, folder 6
Executive Board meeting, 1995 August 3
circa 1990-1995
carton 3, folder 7
Executive Board meeting, 1996 March 15-16
1995-1996
carton 3, folder 8
Executive Board meeting, 1996 August 2
1996
carton 3, folder 9
Executive Board meeting, 1997 August 10
1997
carton 3, folder 10
Executive Board meeting, 1995-1997 March 14
1995-1997
carton 3, folder 11
Executive Board meeting, 1998 March 26
1997-1998
carton 3, folder 13
Demographics statistics
1989-1991
carton 3, folder 14
APALA brochure and other material in Chinese
circa 1990-1995
carton 3, folder 15
Drafts of pamphlet,
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the Work Force
1991
carton 3, folder 16
Labor network and outreach
1990
carton 3, folder 17
Support groups reference materials
circa 1986-1991
carton 3, folder 19
Article by Katie Quan for
Amerasia Journal
1991
carton 3, folder 21
Sarmiento, Tony
1989-1993
carton 3, folder 22
Sweatshop Watch's Garment Workers Calendar
1998
