Northwest Medicine United has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to become the union representation for physicians at MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, Wash.
The petition, filed April 23, requests a secret ballot election to determine whether as many as 65 physicians at Mary Bridge want to join the union, formerly known as Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association.
Physicians seek to unionize “to formally engage with hospital administrators on decisions that will improve patient care,” the union said in a news release. “This effort highlights a growing movement of physicians across the country who are unionizing to protect patient care, address staffing levels and oppose corporate control in medicine.”
The hospital’s parent system, MultiCare, acknowledged receipt of the petition.
“We are working to determine the full list of physicians who may be included, as the petition did not cover every department, clinic, specialty or physician group,” MultiCare said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “Regardless of whether our team members have union representation or not, we will continue our work in making Mary Bridge Children’s a place of excellence for our providers, patients and our community.”
MultiCare, is a 13-hospital system with a workforce of more than 26,000. Northwest Medicine United, formerly known as Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, is part of AFT Healthcare.
