Unionization continues to gain traction among physicians as they seek representation at the bargaining table.
Eight notes:
1. Nationally, the number of medical residents in unions has grown from 17,000 to more than 32,000 in about three years, per CalMatters.
2. In the last six months, residents at Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, University of Chicago Medical Center, and McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago voted to unionize.
3. Most recently, in a first in Maryland, residents and fellow physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore voted to unionize.
4. It is not only physicians in training who are unionizing. In March, attending physicians at Salem (Mass.) Hospital, a facility owned by Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, voted to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
5. Various factors are driving physicians to unionize. Nearly 80% of U.S. physicians are now employed by hospitals, health systems or corporate entities, according to an Avalere study sponsored by Physicians Advocacy Institute, released in April. They say they seek greater investments by hospitals in working conditions, staffing and pay.
6. "While we love our jobs and caring for our patients, we do not have an endless supply of stamina and capacity. We are human beings who must have our basic needs met," Aisha Amuda, MD, a resident at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said in a news release in May. "We are now in a position to advocate for necessary improvements to our working conditions that directly impact the quality of care our patients receive."
7. Hospitals and health systems, meanwhile, emphasize their commitment to quality care and physicians. They also express their respect for workers' rights while maintaining their preference to work directly with physicians.
8. In a statement June 13, University of Maryland Medical Center President and CEO Bert O'Malley, MD, said the hospital respects the vote "and will bargain in good faith with the union with a goal of reaching an agreement that reinforces our commitment to extraordinary patient care and preparing the next generation of physicians for exemplary careers in medicine."