Workers and allies share experiences, reflections, and visions for workplace justice
On June 4, 2025, the UCLA Labor Center, in partnership with the Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), AAPI Data, and Professor William Rosales at Cal State LA, hosted a powerful community talk. Over 60 workers, community members, and allies came together to review and discuss preliminary findings from our research into working conditions in ethnic supermarkets across Koreatowns in Southern California.
The preliminary findings offer deep insights into the lived experiences of immigrant supermarket workers—from the physical and emotional toll of the job to challenges in relationships with supervisors and managers. Workers also shared their vision for improving working conditions and building stronger protections. These findings will help inform future policy and organizing efforts.
Drawing from 316 surveys and 20 in-depth interviews with workers across Los Angeles and Orange Counties, the study also explores how ethnic supermarkets have shifted from family-run businesses to corporate chains, and how these changes have reshaped the experiences of workers who keep them running. We examine how both market type and worker demographics intersect to impact working conditions, and the challenges and opportunities immigrant workers face in asserting their rights and building collective power.
One worker powerfully shared:
And all of these things—better pay, health insurance, respect—can only be achieved by organizing and forming our union. That’s the only way we’ll have the power to make sure our rights are respected as workers in this industry—supermarkets. But this message is for everyone, for people in all types of jobs. We all deserve to be treated equally and with respect. That’s what we’re demanding as workers.
The full report will be released in fall 2025.
