Banner Health Clinicians File to Unionize

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, according to a June 22 release shared with Becker's Hospital Review. If the election succeeds, the bargaining unit would cover more than 240 clinicians across 31 clinic locations.

The move reflects a broader shift. Clinicians who once viewed unions as the domain of hourly workers are increasingly organizing, citing concerns over staffing levels, workload, administrative burden and a loss of say in clinical decisions as more practices consolidate under large systems. The UAPD has been among the groups picking up new physician and advanced-practice membership.

For Banner, one of the largest nonprofit systems in the country, a successful vote would force formal bargaining over pay, working conditions and practice standards. For the industry, it is another signal that employed clinicians are turning to collective action as leverage against the pressures of corporate medicine.