Job Description
APALA seeks a creative, strategic, and passionate advocate for economic justice and AAPI worker equity.
Summary
The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO is seeking two Civic Engagement Fellows to help our team execute our Every Vote Counts electoral program. The anticipated start date is late Summer 2018 with an end-date of November 30, 2018.
About APALA
Founded in 1992, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO is the first and only national organization of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) union members and allies advancing worker, immigrant, and civil rights. Backed with strong support of the AFL-CIO, APALA has 23 chapters and pre-chapters in 16 states and a national office in Washington, D.C. In 2011 to ensure broader education, civic engagement, and capacity building for our communities, APALA established the Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership & Advancement (IAPALA) as a 501(c)3.
To achieve our mission, we build power by:
● Organizing members into unions, develop a pipeline of labor leaders, and build political
power for our community;
● Educating AAPI workers and allies about the labor movement, principles of trade
unionism, and collective bargaining, as well as provide a vehicle for AAPI issues and
concerns;
● Activating our chapters across the country to advance social, racial, and economic
justice through state-based campaigns; and
● Representing the voice of AAPI workers on coalitions within the labor community and
more broadly in the civil rights, AAPI, and racial justice communities.
About the Position
The Civic Engagement Fellows will be essential to the success of our field programs this election cycle. The Civic Engagement Fellows will report to the Program Manager and work closely with the Executive Director, APALA chapter leaders, and other APALA staff. There is one position based in Washington, D.C. and one position based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nights and weekends will be required. This role will have high-level exposure to an exciting world of labor organizing, community advocacy, and nonprofit coalitions, and will have a chance to significantly drive APALA’s overall direction, program, and productivity.
Responsibilities include:
• Organizing canvassing, field operations, and campaign strategies in local communities and submitting progress reports
• Recruiting and training volunteers that will engage community members around the importance of AAPI engagement and the “Every Vote Counts” campaign
• Assisting in scheduling, planning, and organizing voter education events and registration drives in the AAPI community
• Working with local partners to uphold and strengthen collaborations with other AAPI organizations and networks
• Tracking and data entering work in voter database to ensure data driven campaign.
About the Candidate
What We’re Looking For:
● Highly organized, detail-oriented self-starter who can create, manage, and fully drive projects that results in high quality work in a timely manner. You know how to think ahead, prioritize your workload, and prepare for challenges. You enjoy challenges and having a full plate but also know how to manage up when the workload needs to be reprioritized.
● Solutions-oriented person who is creative about your work, loves to learn more about the movement, and is always asking questions. You are usually the kind of person who has a new idea for how to run the program better and appreciates constructive feedback from team members.
● Deep commitment to racial, social, and economic justice. You don’t just ask “Who’s not at the table?” but “Why aren’t they at the table and how can we fix it?”
● Natural organizer who enjoys talking to members, board members, allies and other stakeholders. People go to you when they want to know who to work with on a specific campaign or how they can get help with a project.
● Someone who enjoys a respectful, positive, collaborative, and flexible work environment. The team is small but nimble. We celebrate shared successes and empower each other to be impactful in our work.
● Someone that is disciplined enough to drive their work after given guidance on overall outcomes.
Job Requirements:
● Experience organizing in civic engagement campaigns, especially in voter registration and voter turnout efforts.
● Knowledge of and experience working in the Asian American/Pacific Islander community.
● Demonstrated passion working in low-income, working class, and communities of color around social, economic, and racial justice.
● Strong written and verbal communication skills; a relatable and persuasive communicator/organizer with excellent interpersonal skills.
● Nice to have but not necessary:
○ Experience in economic justice or labor organizations
○ Experience working in a local or state-based organizations
○ Experience working in coalitions
○ Experience with voter technology like Voter Activation Network, Hustle
Compensation
Hourly rate of $17.00/hour, weekly maximum of 40 hours. Benefits include a monthly cell phone
and transit stipend.
Submit cover letter and resume with 3 references (at least 1 work reference) to:
apala(at)apalanet(dot)org with the subject line “Civic Engagement Fellow.” Please indicate if you
are applying for the Washington, D.C. or Las Vegas, Nevada fellowship. APALA is an equal
opportunity employer. We strongly encourage youth, people of color, women, LGBTQ, and
differently-abled people to apply.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled, first set of resume reviews
and interviews will be week of August 6.
The privacy of applicants will be respected and preserved until the last phase of the hiring
process. References will be checked during finalist interviews, with candidate knowledge.
