News

Pediatric physicians at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital announced today that they voted to unionize with Northwest Medicine United to have a stronger voice in decisions affecting patient care. The 100 physicians at Mary Bridge (part of the MultiCare system) said they voted to unionize so they can formally engage with hospital administrators through a collective bargaining agreement on decisions that will improve patient care. This effort is part of a growing movement of physicians across the country who are unionizing to protect patient care, address staffing levels and oppose corporate control in medicine.

May 9, 2025

Unionized physicians from six Legacy Health hospitals in Oregon and Washington held a news conference on May 9 to discuss yearlong stalled contract negotiations and the significant issues Legacy refuses to address that are affecting safe patient care. The hospitalists joined Northwest Medicine United, AFT Local 6552, in late 2023, but negotiations with Legacy have stalled, with the hospital system canceling several bargaining sessions, offering proposals that would make things worse for patients and refusing the union’s proposals to improve patient care and the recruitment and retention of physicians.

April 16, 2025

Pediatric physicians at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital said today they are asking the hospital to agree to allow them to form a union with Northwest Medicine United, negating the need to file cards with the National Labor Relations Board and hold a vote.

March 25, 2025

(Tualatin, Ore.) - To reflect the addition of new bargaining units and growth of membership, the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNWHMA) will now be known as Northwest Medicine United (NWMU). Since 2022, nine additional bargaining units have been organized under NWMU, and three of those units settled their first contracts in recent months. The bargaining units now include adult, pediatric, OB and palliative care hospitalists, ED providers, urgent care providers, adult and pediatric subspecialists, and primary care and women’s health providers. In response to the exponential growth, the executive team of the union approved a name change to better reflect the diversity of providers and practice locations it represents.

Feb. 5, 2025

If ratified, this would be the first contract for the more than 70 hospitalists who formed their union in August 2023.

After more than a year of bargaining and 27 days on the strike line, hospitalists from Providence St. Vincent, represented by the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, reached a tentative agreement with Providence Oregon. This is a historic agreement and the first for the more than 70 hospitalists at St. Vincent who have been on strike with registered nurses (RNs) from eight Providence hospitals and the doctors, RNs, advanced practice providers, and midwives from the Providence Women's Clinic since January 10. 

Dec. 30, 2024

11 Providence bargaining units from 8 hospitals and 6 clinics, including physicians, issue 10-day strike notice to Providence Oregon

(Portland, Ore.) - After a week of intensive bargaining followed by a 5-day cooling off period and additional mediated discussions, physicians, nurses, physician associates, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (among others) delivered a 10-day notice to Providence management of their intent to strike. The notice informed management that the nearly 5,000 frontline healthcare workers intend to begin their open-ended strike on January 10, 2025, at 6:00 a.m.