Registered nurse and executive director of National Nurses United, Bonnie Castillo, has been named in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year.
The American union leader made the list due to her work in ensuring patient safety and access to personal protective equipment (PPE) through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bonnie was nominated by Dolores Huerta, a much-celebrated civil rights activist in the United States, and co-founder of United Farm Workers of America.
In her nomination, Dolores said that “Bonnie’s commitment to the labour movement and unions is unwavering; she states that unions are the foundation of a democratic society.”
“Bonnie does not just work to heal patients; she works to heal society.”
Bonnie said that the award was recognition of the work that nurses had been doing through COVID-19.
“This award lets nurses everywhere know that our expertise is recognized, and it validates our right to speak truth to power,” she said on Instagram
Bonnie’s union, National Nurses United, is a sister union of the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association through Global Nurses United.