White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

  • Have you ever been treated unfairly or differently at work because of your Asian or Pacific Islander heritage?
  • Have you ever been denied a job because of your immigration status?
  • Have you felt there are safety and health risks at your workplace?
  • Do you get paid legally required wages and for all your work hours?
  • Have you felt afraid to contact the government for help with a workplace issue?
  • Do you know how to file a complaint for a workplace issue?

What is the Vulnerable Workers Project?

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board launched the Vulnerable Workers Project.  The Project focuses on strengthening employment and labor protections for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers in high-risk and low-wage industries.  The Project will also help member agencies better target enforcement resources on industries and employers with a greater likelihood of violating the law.

The Project kicked off in 2014 through a series of listening sessions across the country to hear from AAPI workers and community members about the workplace challenges they face.  With the help of many community partners and organizations, the Project hosted listening sessions in New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Jersey City.

In addition to the listening sessions, the Project released a pocket card with information about how to file an employment discrimination or labor complaint with federal agencies.

Why is this Project needed?

While aggregate data on AAPI workers show high rates of employment and above average wages, significant differences exist within the AAPI community with respect to unemployment, employment discrimination, poverty rates and language proficiency.  For example, the overall AAPI poverty rate is 13.2 percent, but some AAPI communities have poverty at twice that rate.[1]  Additionally, in one Gallup poll, almost one-third of AAPIs surveyed reported incidents of employment discrimination, the largest of any ethnic group.[2]

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The project also reinforces that there is “No Wrong Door” to access government services: a worker who contacts any of the federal agencies should be provided with culturally appropriate services and, if necessary, referred to the appropriate agency.

Listening Sessions

From August 2014 to June 2015, the agencies held six listening sessions around the country, focused in areas with high numbers of AAPI workers: New York City, Houston, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Minneapolis/St Paul, and Jersey City.  With the assistance of local advocates, and in some locations, interpretation services, federal agency representatives met face-to-face with diverse groups of AAPI workers.  The listening sessions included workers from several AAPI communities, including East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander groups.

The listening sessions began with short presentations by each agency.  Participants were then given the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns with the agency representatives.  At these listening sessions, the government representatives emphasized their agencies’ commitment to removing barriers with AAPI workers and to engaging with AAPI communities with culturally competent agency representatives.

Participants at the listening sessions discussed challenges they faced reporting and attempting to address labor and employment problems, including:

  1. Mistrust and skepticism that the government will provide timely and culturally relevant assistance (including language resources) to address concerns;
  2. Isolation and limited employment options, sometimes due to immigration status;
  3. Vulnerability and exploitation due to lack of information about their rights;
  4. Fear of retaliation from employers, as well as their communities; and
  5. Frustration around filing complaints, including: not knowing which agency to turn to, complicated instructions, and lengthy wait times to resolve complaints with federal agencies.

Recommendations and Commitments

Based on the feedback from the listening sessions, the agencies have committed to taking the following steps in order to improve services and working conditions for AAPIs:

  1. Expanding language access to assist complainants in understanding and pursuing their federal employment and labor rights;
  2. Strengthening the “No Wrong Door” approach to filing employment and labor complaints and ensuring accurate referrals of employment and labor matters;
  3. Improving communication with workers about the status of their complaints;
  4. Messaging clearly to vulnerable workers that their employment and labor rights are protected regardless of immigration status;
  5. Translating U and T visa, deferred status, and parole information into AAPI languages;
  6. Increasing collaboration with state and local agencies;
  7. More effectively distributing information and resources on workers’ rights targeted to AAPI communities; and
  8. Continuing federal agency engagement, outreach, and follow up with AAPI communities on labor and employment issues.

Agency members of the Vulnerable Workers Project are taking specific actions to implement these recommendations.  The Project plans to incorporate lessons learned, best practices, and new initiatives into each federal agency’s operations to better serve AAPI communities across the country.

To view the full report titled, The First Report of the Vulnerable Workers Project: The Listening Sessions, please visit:  http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/reports/20150514-AAPI.pdf

 

 

[1] 2012 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov

[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/aapi/data/critical-issues