#3299AAPI Meet Shiu

Having grown up poor on the island of Fiji, Shiu Sing worked the majority of his life in different countries, at different jobs, and both with and without a union.  More than anything, he wants for his son to appreciate hard work, to have access to financial security, and to learn to find the joys in life when you can.

After immigrating to the US in 1998, Shiu began working as a custodian at UCLA Medical Center in August of 2003. His involvement with his union was gradual, with his MAT leader, Katy, bringing him to meetings, engaging him in workplace actions, and showing him the power of solidarity—the kind that won a system-wide minimum wage for UC service workers in 2008, and eventually fueled our historic victory against outsourcing in 2020.

 Now the Senior custodian at his location and a MAT leader in his own right, Shiu has dedicated himself wholeheartedly to his union siblings, participating in every strike and food drive, keeping spirits high and workplaces positive, and letting new members know that he will always have their back.

In almost two decades of being a part of 3299, the moment that impacted Shiu the most wasn’t a specific strike or victory, but becoming a MAT leader himself in 2015 and attending the MAT Conference for the first time. This moment connected Shiu with colleagues working to better the lives of members across the state, and gave him a firm belief that his relationship with his union brothers and sisters doesn’t end at work.

 “3299 is about more than a contract—it’s about the kind of support you might expect from a family.  If my union needs me, I’ll always have their backs—even after I retire.”