Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance

What Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance does

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), founded in 1992 and headquartered at 815 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C., is a national 501(c)(5) labor organization and the first and only constituency group of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) workers within the AFL-CIO. The organization operates a chapter-based network spanning 22+ states, supported by a small national staff of 1-10 employees, and runs 18 biennial conventions along with year-round organizing, civic engagement, voter registration, and political education programming. Mission priorities include combating the model minority myth, advocating for low-wage, immigrant, and undocumented workers (including its undocuAPI constituency), and building cross-racial solidarity with allied labor and AANHPI organizations.

APALA's service portfolio consists of advocacy programs, worker organizing campaigns, multilingual civic engagement initiatives (English, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, Tagalog, Ilocano), and educational publications such as the 2019 Untapped Power report and the AANHPI Communities Primer co-produced with AAPI Data. Underlying infrastructure is conventional nonprofit digital tooling (website, email newsletter, social media) rather than proprietary technology; no software products, SaaS platforms, or AI-driven systems are documented. Distribution is executed through a national chapter network and a Texas chapter office in Houston, with direct national membership also available.

The organization funds operations through membership dues (general, associate, senior, Lifetime Warriors categories) and tax-deductible donations processed via IAPALA, its 501(c)(3) sister organization, supplemented by ad-hoc fundraising campaigns (e.g., a $18,000 Archives digitization initiative seeded by NEA). Revenue figures and Form 990 disclosures are not published, and the entity receives no external venture or institutional investment. Leadership comprises an Executive Director (Alvina Yeh), a President (Mikayla Vu), and a National Executive Board drawing from affiliated unions including AFSCME and NEA, with operational continuity maintained through AFL-CIO institutional support.

Name

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance

Legal name

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO

Website

https://apalanet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), founded in 1992, is a national AFL-CIO constituency group organizing Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) workers through 22+ state chapters, advocating for worker, immigrant, and civil rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Advocacy Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Labor organizing
• Worker advocacy
• AANHPI community
• Union organizing
• Civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: APALA generates revenue through membership dues from individual AANHPI workers who join local chapters across the country. General, associate, and senior memberships are available.
2. Donations: APALA accepts tax-deductible donations through its 501(c)5 organization (APALA) and its sister organization IAPALA (501(c)3). The organization conducts fundraising campaigns for specific initiatives including the Archives project with an initial goal of $18,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

APALA organizes, represents, and advocates on behalf of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) workers through a network of 22+ chapters across the United States and a national office in Washington, D.C. The organization delivers union organizing support, political education, voter registration, civic engagement, and immigrant rights advocacy for individual AANHPI workers and union members. Membership programs (general, associate, senior, and Lifetime Warriors) constitute the primary paid offerings, with donations channeled through its sister 501(c)(3) organization IAPALA.

Product overview

The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is a national labor organization (a constituency group of the AFL-CIO), not a technology product company. It does not offer a software platform, SaaS product, or technology-based services. Its offerings consist of advocacy programs, worker organizing campaigns, civic engagement initiatives, educational publications, and member services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IAPALA: APALA's 501(c)(3) sister organization for tax-deductible donations and charitable activities
• Lifetime Warriors

Products and services

• APALA General, Associate, and Senior Membership Recurring annual membership program for individual AANHPI workers across the United States, providing access to chapter-based organizing infrastructure, political education, voter registration campaigns, leadership development, civic engagement programs, and the 22+ chapter network spanning West Coast to East Coast.
• Lifetime Warriors Program Dedicated-supporter lifetime membership category for individual AANHPI workers and allies who want to make a sustained, major commitment to APALA's mission.
• IAPALA Tax-Deductible Donations Pay-as-you-go donation program processed through APALA's sister 501(c)(3) organization IAPALA, including targeted fundraising campaigns such as the Archives project with an $18,000 fundraising goal; donations are tax-deductible in contrast to donations made directly to APALA (501(c)(5)).

Quantifiable outcome

• AANHPI union membership has grown from 200,000 in 1992 to 1.1 million today
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AFL-CIOflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992APALA is a national constituency group of AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the United States. This partnership provides APALA with institutional support, resources, and a formal voice within the broader labor movement. APALA advances worker, immigrant, and civil rights issues within the AFL-CIO family.
• AAPI DatacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partnered with AAPI Data to create a Primer on AANHPI Communities, which provides data and research on the AANHPI workforce and community characteristics.
• ASPIRE Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partnered with ASPIRE Los Angeles to support over 40 undocuAPI youth to attend the 2015 convention and build connections with labor leaders, drawing connections between mass deportation, mass incarceration, and other forms of criminalization.
• Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partnered with FANHS to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike in 2015, celebrating the legacy of Filipino farmworkers.
• American Postal Workers UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA supports the American Postal Workers Union in opposing privatization of USPS, recognizing that 39% of postal workers are people of color.
• National Association of Letter CarrierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA supports the National Association of Letter Carriers in efforts to maintain a public postal service, partnering on advocacy campaigns.
• UNITE HEREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA works with UNITE HERE representing hospitality workers, including supporting catering workers at United Airlines and hotel workers affected by layoffs during COVID-19.
• AFSCMEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA works with AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) on various campaigns. APALA's National President Johanna Puno Hester serves as AFSCME International Vice President.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partners with SEIU on civic engagement and voter mobilization campaigns, including in Nevada and other battleground states.
• National Education Association (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA works with NEA on education advocacy and immigrant rights campaigns. APALA's 1st Vice President Monica Thammarath serves as NEA Senior Liaison.
• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partners with NAPAWF on May Day actions and AAPI contingent events, collaborating on women's rights and reproductive justice issues.
• National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA partners with NAKASEC on immigration advocacy, AAPI contingent events, and community organizing initiatives.
• University ArchivesminorOthersPhysical APALA archives are held in various university libraries across the country as part of the organization's archival preservation efforts.
• AAAJ-Asian Law CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA links to Know Your Rights resources from AAAJ-Asian Law Caucus, providing multilingual worker rights information during COVID-19.
• United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) - AFSCME Local 3930coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPALA National President Johanna Puno Hester serves as Assistant Executive Director of UDW/AFSCME Local 3930, representing domestic workers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza): UnidosUS is a larger, established Latino civil-rights and advocacy organization with policy, education, and workforce programs that overlap thematically with APALA's AANHPI worker-advocacy mission at greater scale.
• AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO is APALA's parent federation and the largest U.S. labor federation, providing institutional backing and political infrastructure that defines APALA's operating environment.
• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): SEIU is one of the largest U.S. unions and a key APALA coalition partner on civic engagement and worker organizing, directly comparable on labor organizing scale and AANHPI worker outreach.

Others

• AAPI Data: AAPI Data is a research partner of APALA that publishes demographic and policy data on AANHPI communities, supplying the data backbone APALA uses for advocacy and organizing campaigns.

Direct peers

• National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF): NAPAWF is an AANHPI advocacy organization partnered with APALA on May Day actions and women's rights campaigns, overlapping on AANHPI civic engagement and reproductive justice from a gender-focused lens.
• Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA): LCLAA is the AFL-CIO constituency group representing Latino workers in the U.S. labor movement — structurally identical role to APALA but for the Latino constituency, with the same chapter-based organizing and civic-engagement playbook.
• Pride at Work: Pride at Work is the AFL-CIO constituency group for LGBTQ workers, sharing APALA's labor-federation affiliation, chapter structure, and worker-advocacy mandate across a different demographic constituency.
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC): AAJC is a national AANHPI civil-rights organization focused on policy advocacy, voting rights, and immigrant rights — overlapping mission with APALA on AANHPI civil rights and civic engagement, though less labor-specific.
• Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU): CBTU is the AFL-CIO constituency group representing Black workers, operating a chapter-based, advocacy-led model directly parallel to APALA's structure and mission.
• National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC): NAKASEC is an AANHPI-focused advocacy organization partnered with APALA on immigration and community organizing, pursuing comparable AANHPI civic-engagement and immigrant-rights work as a peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/apalanational
• Facebookfacebook.com/apalapgh
• Instagraminstagram.com/apalanational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asian-pacific-american-labor-alliance-apala-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance