Despite their pivotal role in the U.S. economy, immigrant workers confront daily challenges in the labor force: language barriers, exploitative working conditions, immigration status vulnerabilities, and restrictions in access to public services and benefits.

For more than 30 years, AALDEF has employed innovative legal strategies to enforce labor laws, and has won millions of dollars in back wages and overtime pay for low-wage immigrant workers and secured federal rulings that have expanded the ability of workers to hold their employers accountable. AALDEF collaborates with community groups to educate low-wage Asian immigrant workers about their legal rights and conduct litigation, legal advocacy, community-based research and media outreach that facilitates organizing and enables workers to secure their rightful wages.

Since its groundbreaking victories in New York's Chinatown and Brooklyn, AALDEF's economic justice work includes two new legal outreach initiatives:

Korean Workers Project

The Korean Workers Project provides traditional direct legal services free of charge to low-wage Korean immigrant workers in the New York metropolitan area, and also works in conjunction with YKASEC – Empowering the Korean American Community to offer community education and outreach efforts. It is the only project in the East Coast designed specifically to serve the needs of low-income workers of Korean descent. By combining these two approaches, the Korean Workers Project seeks to protect the rights of these Korean immigrant workers and to help them achieve social and economic justice. Click here to download the Korean Workers Project brochures in English or Korean.

South Asian Workers Project

The AALDEF South Asian Workers Project provides direct legal services free of charge to low-wage South Asian immigrant workers, including restaurant workers, construction workers, domestic workers, taxi workers, and other workers. The Project also promotes community outreach, organizing, and education on workers' rights issues.