Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers have legal rights when it comes to organizing, bargaining, and speaking up about workplace issues. These protections come from federal and state labor law and exist to support providers working together to improve patient care and working conditions.
Your Rights During Organizing
You have the right to:
- Talk with coworkers about forming a union or improving workplace conditions.
- Ask questions, attend meetings, and share information about organizing.
- Support organizing efforts, or choose not to participate.
- Discuss compensation, workload, schedules, and clinical concerns with colleagues.
Employers cannot legally retaliate against you for participating in protected organizing activity or for acting together with coworkers around workplace concerns.
Your Rights During Bargaining
Once a group is unionized, you have the right to:
- Elect a bargaining team made up of your colleagues.
- Help set priorities through surveys, meetings, and discussions.
- Vote on whether to approve a contract before it takes effect.
- Negotiate over key issues like compensation models, call expectations, PTO, staffing, and protections around discipline or termination.
Bargaining is a collective process, it raises the floor of protections while still allowing specialties and individuals to negotiate details that reflect their practice.
Speaking Up Together
Providers are protected when they act collectively to:
- Advocate for safe staffing and patient care standards.
- Raise concerns about workload, scheduling, or administrative policies.
- Push for transparency around compensation and productivity metrics.
You do not have to raise concerns alone. Acting together with coworkers is a protected activity under federal law.
Meetings With Leadership
If you are union-represented and believe a meeting with management could lead to discipline, you have the right to request a union representative present. (See the Weingarten Rights page for more details.)
What This Means in Practice
- You can collaborate with colleagues to improve clinical practice conditions.
- You can participate in organizing or bargaining without fear of retaliation.
- You have a voice in shaping the structure of your contract and workplace.