Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profile: Trung Le

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 Trung Le of AFSCME.

Trung Le's story is one of resilience, strength and compassion. After escaping Vietnam at the age of 16 as a Vietnam War refugee, Le found a foster family in the U.S. and became a social worker, striving to protect children from the same abuse that he once endured. In 2017, after 23 years on the job with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Le and his fellow program supervisors organized and voted decisively to form AFSCME Local 3419, of which he now serves as vice president.