Doctors, PAs, and Other Clinicians Unionize in Massachusetts
Page Med today history.
More than 230 Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) clinicians in Massachusetts have won their union elections and received certification from the state Department of Labor Relations.
About half of the group’s members are physicians, including primary care physicians, psychiatrists and hospitalists; members also include physician assistants (PAs) and psychologists, according to SHARE CHA/AFSCME, the union representing the group.
Jeremy Stricsek, MD, a primary care physician at CHA, said Page Med today that collective discussions about ways to improve working conditions and patient care began several years ago, some of which were spurred by the pandemic. However, in the summer of 2022, unionization efforts became more serious when the group acknowledged that doctors and other healthcare professionals should unionize in order to “better advocate” for themselves and patients. Overall, there is concern about “increasing pressure to do more with less,” he said.
Stricsek also stressed that it was very important from the start that the group worked closely together. Many members of the newly unionized group share patients; for example, as a primary care physician, he sends many mental health referrals to his colleagues. “We’re all in this together,” he said.
News of the group’s union certification was first reported by the Boston Globe.
Andrea C.ACeres, a SHARE organizer, said unionizing gives clinicians “the opportunity to be at the table and think creatively with hospital leadership about how to rethink work systems that will benefit the hospital, themselves, but most importantly the patients.” CHA is a safety-net hospital, so the needs of the patient population they serve are complex and may be greater than those of patients at other facilities, she noted.
CHA residents and fellows had previously unionized as well.
Other recent mobilization efforts nearby include those by doctors at Salem Hospital, part of Mass General Brigham, and nearly 450 health care workers at Boston-based Fenway Health.
Regarding the current efforts of CHA physicians and other clinicians, Stricsek said he and his colleagues “hope this can inspire other people.”
CHA said in a statement that it “respects our employees’ right to organize and we aim to always work in the best interest of our providers and patients.”
“CHA is committed to moving forward and negotiating in good faith with SHARE CHA,” the statement continued. “We have contacted SHARE to let them know that our intention is to negotiate in a collegial and constructive manner. We plan to meet with them soon to discuss the logistics of the negotiations and set dates to begin the process.”
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Stricsek had been involved in unionizing efforts by CHA residents and fellows.
