6 Jewish and Asian American Labor Leaders Who Changed U.S. History

Saket Soni is an Indian American labor organizer and a national leader in advocating for immigrant workers. After Hurricane Katrina, he helped expose widespread labor exploitation in the disaster recovery industry. As the founder of Resilience Force and the National Guestworker Alliance, Soni organized South Asian, Southeast Asian and Latin American workers who were often underpaid, overworked and misled about the terms of their employment.

Soni's work shines a light on a vital but invisible workforce: the laborers who rebuild communities after climate disasters. By linking labor rights to immigration and climate justice, he challenges us to think intersectionally about today’s labor movement. His advocacy is a powerful reminder that the people who help rebuild after disasters deserve safety, dignity and a voice.

Larry Itliong was a Filipino American farm worker and civil rights leader whose contributions are often overshadowed in mainstream labor history. In 1965, he initiated the Delano Grape Strike through the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, and soon after, César Chávez and Dolores Huerta of the National Farm Workers Association joined forces, uniting Filipino and Mexican farmworkers in a historic push for better wages and conditions. This coalition eventually led to the formation of the United Farm Workers.

Itliong's leadership broke ground in building interracial solidarity in the fields of California. His legacy encourages us to look beyond single-hero narratives and recognize the collective efforts behind labor wins. Today, his story helps correct historical omissions and teaches the power of unity across racial and ethnic lines.

Ai-jen Poo is a Chinese American labor organizer and a champion of the care economy. As founder of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, she has worked tirelessly to bring dignity and recognition to nannies, housekeepers and caregivers—a workforce largely made up of immigrant women.

Poo helped pass domestic worker bills of rights in multiple states and placed the needs of care workers on the national policy agenda. Her advocacy gained even more urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the essential nature of domestic labor became undeniable. Her work redefines what we value in the economy and who we see as "essential."

Clara Lemlich was a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant and garment worker who helped ignite one of the most significant labor uprisings in U.S. history. In 1909, she famously demanded a strike vote at a mass meeting, sparking the Uprising of the 20,000—a massive walkout of women garment workers in New York.

Lemlich's bold action and organizing skills brought attention to unsafe factory conditions and helped push the garment industry toward reform. Her story is a powerful example of how young immigrant women led the charge for labor rights long before they had the right to vote. Her legacy still resonates in today’s conversations about fast fashion, worker exploitation and youth activism.

Sidney Hillman was a Lithuanian Jewish immigrant and one of the architects of modern American labor policy. As president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and a co-founder of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, Hillman pushed for collective bargaining rights, fair wages and social protections for workers.

He played a key role in shaping New Deal reforms and demonstrated how unions could influence national policy. Hillman’s work laid the foundation for labor’s role in economic recovery—a legacy that continues to inform how we think about the relationship between the government and working people.

Rose Schneiderman was a Polish Jewish labor organizer, feminist and a leading voice for worker protections in the early 20th century. After the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, she became a prominent advocate for workplace safety and women's suffrage.

Schneiderman famously coined the phrase "bread and roses," symbolizing the idea that workers deserve not just survival, but dignity and quality of life. Her ability to connect labor rights with broader social movements set a precedent for inclusive, human-centered labor advocacy that still inspires today.