Peter Kwong wrote about @cpc_nyc. In 1988 they received a federal grant for training workers in construction. Promised job placement after grad. Instead it used trainees as labor to renovate their own office space, paying only $5 an hour -1/2 stipulated by gov contract. https://twitter.com/aiwcampaign/status/1384894741008064512

CPC administrators fired workers who complained. Those remaining workers formed a union and were fired for doing so but sued. Federal courts ruled in the worker’s favor and CPC was told to pay full back wages + underpayment as they should have been paid $17 per hour.

CPC appealed but lost and pleaded poverty and shift blame to NYC, which contracted CPC to run the program. History repeating itself in a new industry - home care.

After 6 years of fighting, the city and CPC came up with the funds to pay the workers. And Chinese Construction Workers Association was formed and joined a city-wide Coalition to End Racism in Construction alongside African American and Latinx workers.