(SACRAMENTO) – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California released the following statement from President Bill A. Lloyd honoring May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

 “Today we honor the contributions of millions of Asian American and Pacific Islander Californians to our state, people like SEIU members:

“My Loi, who works at Mission College in Santa Clara and who helps students navigate through admissions and financial aid so they can achieve their life goals.

“Leo Conales, a pharmacy tech at LAC+USC, whose work makes Californians healthier.

“Luis Aguilar, who works for the city of Hollister to bring senior housing and affordable apartments to Hollister.

“Norm Ten, whose work helps educate teachers and the public about the wonders of science, art, and human perception at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

“Lonnie Reyes, a labor and delivery nurse at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, who has helped bring new generations of Californians into this world for 35 years.

“California’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are diverse in language, culture, and country of origin and have given their talents and hard work to building this great state. Working people of every background are united in our desire to rebuild California so that our children have great opportunities, our elders receive the care they deserve, and our economy prospers in the 21st century.

“Thousands of our Asian American brothers and sisters were among the California workers who marched on Saturday, as we declared  that the time has come to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. The hateful laws just passed in Arizona call to mind a painful history of discrimination perpetrated against Asian Americans.  We renew our call for our leaders in Washington to take swift action to enact comprehensive immigration reforms that make sense for our economy and that treat all workers with dignity.  

“Remembering that our nation was built by immigrants seeking new opportunities for their families, we work in solidarity to bring tens of thousands of hard-working young people out of the economic shadows by passing the DREAM Act.”


SEIU California is a coalition of over 700,000 janitors, social workers, security officers, home care workers, school and university employees, healthcare workers, and city, county and state employees represented by SEIU local unions throughout California. We come together to build a better California by fighting to pass policies and elect candidates that benefit working families and advance the issues we care about: affordable healthcare, good wages, retirement security for all, a healthy environment, good schools and universities, and stronger communities. We believe that by working together we can build a California where working families can thrive again.