Physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Phoenix-based Banner Health have filed a petition for union representation with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, the union said in a June 22 news release shared with Becker’s. If the election succeeds, the bargaining unit would include more than 240 clinicians across 31 clinic locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The clinicians serve more than 500,000 patients annually, according to the union.
The organizing effort centers on concerns about patient panel sizes, staffing levels and scheduling practices that clinicians say have gone unaddressed. The union said the clinicians believe collective bargaining would establish enforceable protections allowing them to advocate for safer staffing and sustainable workloads without fear of retaliation.
Banner Health said in a statement to Becker’s that it believes direct collaboration between team members and leadership — without third-party involvement — is in the best interest of staff and patients. “We hope that [Banner Medical Group] team members vote no in the election when the National Labor Relations Board conducts it in the weeks ahead,” the statement said.
A union spokesperson said the NLRB is expected to issue an election date in July.
Banner Health is a nonprofit system with 33 hospitals across six states and nearly 60,000 employees.
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