Koreatown union-support organization in controversy for allegedly suppressing its own unionization

The Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), which has been at the forefront of protecting workers’ rights and supporting Korean-American businesses to unionize, has come under fire for allegedly repressing its own union members.

KIWA union members have been whistleblowing, staging protests to demand that management cease retaliation against them.

The KIWA employees’ union organized a march on Vermont Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in Koreatown at 5:30 p.m. on October 31 to demand an end to retaliation by KIWA leadership. More than 60 current and former employees and community activists participated in the march.

“Since the union was formed, my supervisors have prevented me from conducting organizing trainings, removed me from organizing campaigns and important activities, and even told me to stop working with certain community leaders, which is not only retaliation against me as an individual, but also undermines the trust and morale of KIWA employees,” said Ninel Morales, a KIWA union member.

KIWA officially formed its own union in September, following a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election. However, the KIWA union claimed that “retaliation by KIWA leadership against union members after unionization has been confirmed,” explaining the reason behind the picketing.

“Since we shared our story on Instagram, dozens of former employees have come forward with their accounts of retaliation,” said Ariana Rodriguez, KIWA’s Executive and Communications Coordinator, adding that “there was a unionization movement at KIWA five years ago for this very reason.”

Despite KIWA’s reputation as an advocate for workers’ rights, some employees spoke out about the problematic organizational culture.

“KIWA is a very stressful workplace because of the oppressive decision-making structure,” said one employee, who requested anonymity. ”It’s nearly impossible to work in an emotionally healthy way, and I don’t think the organization can function if it continues this way.”

The controversy over KIWA’s attempt to prevent unionization predates the NLRB vote.

The faces and names of 13 KIWA employees who were part of the unionization effort, as well as their messages calling for a union, were posted on social media, leading to revelations that management had demoted some employees and forced them to work shorter hours.

The Korea Daily reached out to KIWA Executive Director Alexandra Suh and other executives for comment on the allegations but did not receive a response as of 5 p.m. on November 4.

The KIWA has become a subject of controversy 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 in the city.

The CRRWU’s President Jose Hernandez and Secretary-Treasurer Alexandra Suh are key figures in KIWA as well. The CRRWU has been actively supporting the formation of unions such as Coway USA, but it 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 for Coway USA and LA Hannam Chain, which CRRWU actively supported, were both defeated.

BY YEOL JANG, KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]