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 Charmaine S. Morales, RN, of AFSCME.
Charmaine S. Morales, RN, is president of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), which represents over 40,000 registered nurses and health care professionals across California and Hawaii. She led UNAC/UHCP’s expansion into Hawaii in 2018, and during 2021 Kaiser Permanente negotiations, she secured recognition of mental health as equal to physical health. She is the first woman of color—and the first Mexican American and Filipina—to lead UNAC/UHCP. Morales’ leadership embodies solidarity, equity and transformation.