Ron Chew

When the Chinese Vice Premier arrived in Seattle February 3, his itinerary for the next two days made it clear why he had come.

Approximately 700 minority cannery workers employed at five New England Fish Company (Nefco) facilities have been mailed claim forms, following the landmark ruling by a U.S. District Court judge that Nefco discriminated against minorities in allocation of job and housing.

The Alaska Cannery Workers Association (ACWA), a Seattle-based organization fighting employment discrimination in Alaska’s canneries, brought the suit against the New England Fish Co. (NEFCO) in 1973, charging that Alaskan Native and Asian American workers were relegated to the lowest-paying, menial cannery jobs, dined in segregated mess halls and slept in segregated bunkhouses.

The United Garment Workers Union approved over 200 dollars to translate new contract copies for Chinese garment workers. However, they still face challenges that they have to establish the system for all the Chinese workers to get the translated copies.