UNAC/UHCP Executive Vice President Charmaine Sunshine Morales, RN, had a mid-life career change, going from successful small business owner to med-surg nurse. Once she arrived at a local UNAC/UHCP affiliate, it was only six short years until she was elected UNAC/UHCP Secretary in 2013. Her work in the UNAC/UHCP State Office modernized nearly everything she touched, from updating and standardizing affiliate constitutions to getting the UNAC/UHCP officers on Facebook.
In 2015, Charmaine incorporated a member engagement program union-wide. Membership Matters, as the program is called, is a cornerstone of our union’s leadership and growth initiatives.
In 2016, Charmaine was elected UNAC/UHCP Executive Vice President. She was the face of the union in the Get on the Bus campaign to save the Affordable Care Act in response to Congressional repeal efforts by traveling directly to Congressional offices and meeting with legislators and their staff.
Charmaine built upon her Membership Matters work in 2018 in Hawaii, where she built a new chapter from the ground up. Her leadership and strategic vision for how to allow the Maui Health System workers a voice in patient care and in their workplace has been nothing short of extraordinary. As a result of her work, other health care professionals in Hawaii have been motivated to join UNAC/UHCP.
Charmaine is a Vice President for NUHHCE and Vice President for the Los Angeles County Labor Council, the strongest in the country.