Dozens of providers at PeaceHealth in Whatcom County could vote to unionize, citing inadequate pay, fears over job security and burnout.
Physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives have been in behind-the-scenes discussions with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists for about 10 months, clinicians and union officials say.
In interviews, caregivers in this group, called advanced practice clinicians or APCs, said they work up to 60 hours a week with no additional compensation, to meet administrators’ demands to see more patients and make more money for the not-for-profit health care system. Certified nurse midwives, who deliver babies and provide other reproductive health care, can work 70 or more hours per week, representatives of the group said.
Those who spoke to Cascadia Daily News requested anonymity because they feared retaliation for union organizing.