Our Mission

Our work prioritizes connecting workers’ individual struggles for daily survival into a collective force to change the root causes of these problems in all aspects of workers’ lives. In response to the super-exploitation that many workers face on a daily basis, and to the multiple barriers of race, gender, age, and immigration status that often compound exploitation, we emphasize developing leadership among working people in NYC’s Chinatowns and to bridge the divides within the Chinese community and beyond; we believe working people, as the creators of society will be the agent for change. Based on a workers’ center model, we tackle “bread and butter” issues, some as well as land-use and displacement, childcare, health, youth development, immigration, and 9/11 disaster relief assistance. CSWA sees itself as engaging in and leading a new labor movement to address new socio-economic realities that traditional labor organizing models are unable to address- widespread sweatshop conditions intensified by the U.S. modern day slave law employers’ sanctions. From workplace to community struggles, we continue to grow into our 30th year to organize working people to fight for the control of our time, our space, and our lives.