Coway profited from the COVID-19 pandemic—and it did so on the backs of its workers.

Coway USA workers deserve better!

Coway is a Korea-based multinational corporation that sells, maintains, and installs home air and water quality systems. The company was founded in 1989; it launched its US subsidiary, Coway USA, in 2007.

When demand for air purification systems exploded at the beginning of the pandemic, Coway sales skyrocketed, especially in the United States. Their “Airmega” product in particular was sold as a device that can prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, Coway USA revenue and profit more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. This success is built off their “business to consumer model”, in which individual Coway workers are responsible for sales, customer service, and technical support. But at what cost for workers’ health and quality of life?

Working conditions for Coway USA workers in Southern California are abysmal. They are frequently victims of wage theft, in which they are denied overtime pay, rest and meal periods, or are paid below the minimum wage. What’s more, there are allegations of blatant gender and racial discrimination in the hiring, treatment, and promotion of workers. Coway’s astronomical pandemic profits were built off the tireless labor of its workers, who are often paid so little that they struggle to make ends meet and don’t have the time to prevent or treat their own illnesses nor look after those of their families.