For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this year, the AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have worked and continue to work at the intersection of civil and labor rights in the United States. Today's profile is Marlan Maralit of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
Marlan Maralit serves on the APALA National Executive Board as an at-large member and was trained as a professional organizer through the APALA Organizing Institute's three-day training. His experience has been informed by the migrant Filipino farmworkers of the 1960s. Maralit works as a lead organizer with the AAUP, an affiliate of AFT, and has organized faculty throughout the country. He is currently organizing a full-time faculty unit of nearly 1,000 people in the Midwest that started during the pandemic and is nearing a representation election for collective bargaining.