Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates
Encyclopedia
The Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance 한인타운 노동연대 (KIWA, pronounced kee-wah), also known under its past name Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates 남가주 한인 노동 상담소, is a multi-ethnic immigrant worker
civil rights
membership organization
based in the Los Angeles
Koreatown
area.
KIWA was founded in 1992 by progressive minded Korean activists who saw class
as the basic contradiction of the immigrant communities in Koreatown
. It has since been involved in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, campaigns to improve working conditions and immigrant worker empowerment in various Korean ethnic industries, the living wage
s campaign, and Koreatown's multi-ethnic community developments.
KIWA is perhaps best known recently for its long campaign against Assi Market, the largest ethnic Korean-owned supermarket of the United States
, located in Koreatown. Started in the late 1990s, KIWA demands that Assi management rehire dozens of fired Latino
and Korean
workers who were fired for trying to organize a trade union
.
Although initially staffed mostly by ethnic Koreans, KIWA grew to encompass Asian-Pacific American and Latino
organizers and members. The Spanish language
"Alianza de trabajadores inmigrantes del Barrio Coreano" had been in common use since the early 2000s; however the English language
name was officially changed in March 2006 from Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates to Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. The Korean language
"한인노동상담소" (Korean Worker's Center) has been changed to 한인타운 노동연대 to signify its geographical focus rather than on an ethnic group.
KIWA is a member organization of MIWON (Multi-Ethnic Immigrant Workers Alliance http://www.miwon.org), an alliance of four (formerly five) immigrant workers' centers in the Los Angeles
area, and ENLACE, a U.S.-Mexico
network of workers' centers
.
Foreign worker
A foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a citizen. The term migrant worker as discussed in the migrant worker page is used in a particular UN resolution as a synonym for "foreign worker"...
civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
membership organization
Membership organization
A membership organization is a broad term for a group or body which has members. Typically any member of the public can join and a membership fee or "subscription" is payable, but arrangements vary widely...
based in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Koreatown
Koreatown, Los Angeles, California
Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...
area.
KIWA was founded in 1992 by progressive minded Korean activists who saw class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
as the basic contradiction of the immigrant communities in Koreatown
Koreatown, Los Angeles, California
Koreatown is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire district of the city of Los Angeles, California known for its concentration of Korean American people and institutions...
. It has since been involved in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, campaigns to improve working conditions and immigrant worker empowerment in various Korean ethnic industries, the living wage
Living wage
In public policy, a living wage is the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs . These needs include shelter and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition...
s campaign, and Koreatown's multi-ethnic community developments.
KIWA is perhaps best known recently for its long campaign against Assi Market, the largest ethnic Korean-owned supermarket of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located in Koreatown. Started in the late 1990s, KIWA demands that Assi management rehire dozens of fired Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
and Korean
Korean people
The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...
workers who were fired for trying to organize a trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
.
Although initially staffed mostly by ethnic Koreans, KIWA grew to encompass Asian-Pacific American and Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
organizers and members. The Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
"Alianza de trabajadores inmigrantes del Barrio Coreano" had been in common use since the early 2000s; however the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
name was officially changed in March 2006 from Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates to Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance. The Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
"한인노동상담소" (Korean Worker's Center) has been changed to 한인타운 노동연대 to signify its geographical focus rather than on an ethnic group.
KIWA is a member organization of MIWON (Multi-Ethnic Immigrant Workers Alliance http://www.miwon.org), an alliance of four (formerly five) immigrant workers' centers in the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area, and ENLACE, a U.S.-Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
network of workers' centers
Worker center
Worker centers are non-profit organizations that organize workers who are not already members of a collective bargaining organization . Many worker centers in the United States focus on immigrant workers, and most focus on low-wage workers in sectors such as restaurant, construction, day labor or...
.