Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Profiles: Sasha Kahele-Manners

For Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, AFL-CIO is spotlighting various Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians 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 Sasha Kahele-Manners of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA).

Sasha Kahele-Manners is a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines and proud member of AFA-CWA. Kahele-Manners currently serves as the reserve committee chair for Council 43 in Honolulu, where she supports AFA-CWA members by helping them understand and navigate their collective bargaining agreement. Kahele-Manners’ union work is driven by a deep respect for the protections her contract provides—ensuring balance, preventing burnout and affirming the value of flight attendants’ work.

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/08/2026 - 10:34

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Nonprofit Youth Action Fund Organizes with CWA

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Staff at the Generation Z-led organizing nonprofit Youth Action Fund organized with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

“Since 2023, Florida Youth Action Fund (FYAF) has emerged as a critical player in the Florida youth organizing landscape,” the workers said. “With the dedication and drive of our staff, FYAF has mobilized thousands of students across the country and trained hundreds to become skilled youth advocates.”

Youth Action Fund staff filed a petition for a union election to join CWA Local 3108 on May 1. They asked Youth Action Fund management to voluntarily recognize their union.

“We’re excited to, you know, to hopefully get workers’ protections,” said Giancarlo Rodriguez, a Central Florida campaign adviser for Youth Action Fund. “And to let young people know too—and people all across Florida, regardless of age—that you can form a union, and it’s possible. No matter what kind of worker you are, no matter what industry, you know, you deserve worker protections. We want to have better wages, better working conditions, job security—all these really critical things that unions can bring.”

Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 05/08/2026 - 10:29