Auburn Medical Center physicians to unionize: 5 things to know

Practice Management

The physicians at Auburn Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., will likely have a new union at the end of the evening.

A strong majority of Auburn Medical Center physicians cast ballots in favor of the union at the National Labor Relations Board Region 19 offices in Seattle last week; the National Labor Relations board is expected to certify the results tonight.

 

Here are five things to know:

 

1. The union will include hospitals, pediatricians, surgeons and OB/GYNs, among other specialists.

 

2. While physicians in California have been unionized for decades, this union is believed to be the first group of private sector physicians in Washington to form a union. Last year, physicians in Oregon joined a union representing other healthcare workers at their facility.

 

3. The Union of American Physicians and Dentists will represent the AMC physicians. They are also speaking with other physicians in the region about forming unions.

 

4. When the union is certified, physicians at AMC will negotiate for the first time with their employer, MultiCare Health System, which purchased AMC in 2012. MultiCare operates five hospitals and several clinics in the Tacoma area.

 

5. Physicians can unionize to negotiate with hospital administrators to ensure the focus on efficiency and cost-cutting doesn't come at the expense of patient care, according to UAPD President Stuart Bussey, MD.

 

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