Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35) will welcome Linda Hippolyte, a registered nurse and labor leader with United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), as her guest to the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, February 24th. More than 31,000 UNAC/UHCP members are currently on strike for better working conditions and wages at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California and Hawaii.
Linda Hippolyte brings more than a decade of frontline nursing experience and years of union leadership advocating for safe staffing, fair contracts, and respect for healthcare professionals. Her journey began in 2008 when UNAC/UHCP organized her hospital, inspiring her first involvement in union leadership. Since then, she has dedicated her career to representing healthcare workers and advancing policies that protect patient safety and workplace dignity.
“Healthcare workers are the backbone of our communities and the foundation of our economy,” said Rep. Torres. “In CA-35, from Pomona to Ontario to Eastvale, hospitals are stretched thin. Staffing shortages, cuts to Medicare and Medi-Cal, and rising costs are putting both patients and workers under immense pressure. Linda Hippolyte represents every nurse and healthcare worker whose expertise, courage, and dedication deserve action, not just applause. I am proud to bring her voice to the State of the Union.”
Hippolyte has helped shape contract language that reflects the realities of hospital care, strengthened collective bargaining protections, and ensured that the concerns of nurses and advanced practice providers are heard at every level.
“Our communities and the healthcare we rely on are under attack,” said Hippolyte. “Understaffed hospitals, overworked nurses, cuts to healthcare working families rely on, and rising costs, are making it difficult for nurses to provide the care their patients deserve and need, sometimes beyond safety limits. Nurses are seeing firsthand how these cuts are impacting their patients. They are standing together through our union to improve working conditions and create a healthcare system where patients are safe, our profession is respected, and the people doing the work have a seat at the table. We have raised serious concerns about unsafe staffing, improving the quality of patient care, and attempted to collaborate on solutions, yet our voices have been disregarded. Nurses are making real sacrifices every day. They want to protect the future of patient care [and] have a sustainable workload that allows them to provide the best care. By organizing and standing together, it gives them a structured way to advocate, to be heard, and [to] work towards real solutions, not just for themselves but for the community they serve. I am honored to bring that message to the nation at the State of the Union.”
Rep. Torres has been a consistent advocate for healthcare workforce funding, labor protections, and policies that ensure safe working conditions in hospitals. Her work ties worker dignity, patient care, and economic stability together as national priorities while highlighting the real impact these issues have on the communities of CA-35.
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