A labor union has finally been formed at the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA).
Now KIWA employees will have their own union, despite controversy over the management’s attempts to prevent unionization.
The vote, which was organized by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), was held at KIWA’s office from 9 a.m. on September 16.
According to KIWA union officials, 13 KIWA employees participated in the vote. Of those, 10 voted in favor, 0 against, and 3 “challenged” votes. The challenged votes were invalidated as they were cast by voters who were not eligible to vote.
The vote being virtually unanimous, the KIWA’s union will become a certified labor union once it receives final approval from the NLRB.
KIWA has been widely recognized as an organization that has been at the forefront of protecting workers’ rights and supporting unionization among Korean American businesses.
The journey to unionization for KIWA employees was not a smooth one, as the management reportedly opposed unionization implicitly. Unionization requires management’s permission, which KIWA did not voluntarily grant on its own.
The issue came to a head when KIWA employees claimed that they were treated unfairly by the management.
“One day after I announced my support for unionization, KIWA demoted me and forced me to cut my hours,” said one of the unionized employees, Mirna Barreno, on social media at the time.
Another former KIWA official, who wished to remain anonymous, alleged that management had been practicing unfair terminations.
“There was an attempt to organize a union a few years ago, but management fired all of the employees who led the effort,” he said, adding, “Unfair terminations have been going on for years, and they have a history of firing a pregnant employee saying she was not conducive to work.”
In response to the unionization, Alexandra Suh, Executive Director of KIWA, told the Korea Daily that the management has always supported employees’ right to form unions and guaranteed their freedom to choose a negotiating group.
Earlier, 13 KIWA employees filed a representation election (RC Petition) with the NLRB through their bargaining representative, the Pacific Northwest Staff Union (PNWSU), on August 8. KIWA’s management could have approved the unionization on its own, but instead reportedly put it up for a vote, which ultimately passed.
KIWA has been controversial because it is virtually the same organization as the California Restaurant & Retail Workers Union (CRRWU), which has been supporting the unionization of Korean American businesses. The CRRWU’s President, José Roberto Hernández, and Secretary-Treasurer, Alexandra Suh are key figures in KIWA.
The CRRWU has been actively supporting the formation of unions such as Coway USA, but the organization came under fire when it was revealed that it had been engaging in illegal activities such as forging official documents during the unionization process. In the end, the unionization votes of Coway USA and Hannam Chain in Los Angeles, which CRRWU actively supported, were both defeated.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
