Jimmy Matta was raised by migrant farmworkers from Guatemala amid the towering peaks of the Cache Valley in Preston, Idaho and the Central Washington cities of Quincy, Wenatchee and Ephrata. He began working in the fields at the tender age of ten. In 1998 he came to Burien where he moved up the ranks at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters eventually serving as an international representative of the general president. Matta served as a labor leader for 20 years and in 2016 he founded Ahora Construction, a full-service union-signatory contracting firm. He has served as a delegate for minority-owned construction firms for several years in Washington and Oregon. His accomplishments in social justice and labor issues span from advocacy for civil rights, democracy and broad participation in government by the people, and a strong commitment to our constitutional rights. Matta supports many community and faith-based organizations both in the King County area and statewide.

As a union labor leader, community advocate, and organizer, Matta has long sought to build bridges between organized labor, business and our diverse communities of Washington. Matta has served as President of Carpenters Local Union 41 and President of the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Regional Executive Board. He is Co-Chair of The Latino Civic Alliance and Founder of the Northwest Minority Builders Alliance. He has served as president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (King County) and Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA).

Matta has served five years on Burien city council as mayor and city council member, where he has championed initiatives and issues that are important for the citizens of Burien.