NNU’s Puneet Maharaj is Appointed to AFL-CIO Executive Council

Puneet Maharaj, executive director of National Nurses United (NNU), was appointed as a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council, NNU announced today. The Executive Council comprises labor union leaders who serve as the governing body of the AFL-CIO, the federation of 64 labor unions representing nearly 15 million working people.

"I'm beyond proud to join with labor leaders across the United States to advance the issues that matter to working people, families, and our communities," said Maharaj. "The billionaire class has rigged the economy and political system against the working class of this country, and our democracy and labor are under attack like never before. This is a time of great opportunity to unite the working class around a unified, pro-worker agenda to take back our democracy. It's an honor to bring the nurses' voice to that fight, on behalf of patients everywhere. I'm committed to building industrial power for nurses and look forward to working together with the Executive Council to grow the labor movement as a whole."

Maharaj became executive director of National Nurses United and its largest affiliate, California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC), in 2025, after working for more than 13 years in nearly every capacity at the union. She began as an organizer/labor representative, fighting back against some of the most vicious corporate employers, moving on to positions including Public Sector Collective Bargaining Director and National Political and Government Relations Director. But Maharaj will always be first and foremost an organizer. In her first seven months as executive director, more than 2,300 nurses have joined the ranks of NNU affiliates, organizing at hospitals in Florida, Texas, and California.

As one of the youngest members of the AFL-CIO's Executive Council, an immigrant who came to the United States from India in 1992 with her single mother, and a parent of young children - with her fourth on the way, Maharaj brings fresh perspective to the Council.

"My mother worked many hours to try to make a better life for us, which is the experience of so many immigrants, including our immigrant nurses," said Maharaj, who recalls spending many late nights waiting up to ensure her mother made it safely home from work. "I cannot even fathom the children who are waiting for their parents to come home from work, but they never do because they have been kidnapped by ICE. What's happening now is not just fear, it is terror, and I know that the labor movement has the power to stand in solidarity and protect all working people. It's an honor to work with the Executive Council at this time when our leadership is really needed most."

"The Trump administration and corporate billionaires are trying to divide and conquer working people, replace us with artificial intelligence, rip health care away from patients, take away our bodily autonomy, and leave workers unprotected in every possible way," Maharaj added. "Through class struggle, we organize the power to fight back by growing our unions and empowering all working people to resist. I look forward to being part of the leadership team that can really marshall the power of working-class people to advance our own vision for a healthy society and economy that values life and dignity over corporate profit."

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.