Nurses Union Hires New Political Director

February 2009

Jimmy Gomez, previously with AFSCME in Washington D.C., will start
at UNAC/UHCP March 2 to represent the voice of nurses in politics

California – Jimmy Gomez is set to become the Political Director for the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Healthcare Professionals on March 2.  UNAC/UHCP is the second largest nurses' union in California.

Gomez will develop and manage the overall direction of the 16,000-member union's political program, including introducing and monitoring legislation, maintaining relationships with elected officials and key staff, and directing the UNAC/UHCP PAC.

"Now more than ever, it's vital that elected officials heed the voices of health care professionals when making decisions that affect our society," says Kathy J. Sackman, RN. "We made that clear when our union successfully mobilized for safe staffing ratios, and we're thrilled that Jimmy is going to help us amplify our voices in today's crucial policy debates."

Gomez brings to UNAC/UHCP more than a decade of political experience in Washington, D.C., and California. Most recently, he has been California's political action representative for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), UNAC/UHCP's parent union.

He has also worked for the National League of Cities, the Democratic National Committee, L.A. City Councilman Michael Feuer, and Secretary of Labor-Designate Hilda Solis when she was a member of Congress. Gomez graduated from UCLA and earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

"Year after year, polls show that the public holds nurses in high esteem when it comes to integrity," says Gomez. "It will be my job to make sure that legislators know when they listen to nurses, they are listening to the voices of their constituents."

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