Doctors at Salem Hospital unionizing

Citing budget cuts, overflowing hospital beds, and decisions being made without their input, doctors at Salem Hospital informed management on Monday that they are organizing a union to improve patient care. Nearly 100 of 145 physicians at the hospital, which is part of Mass General Brigham, have signed cards in support of joining Council 93 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union represents 45,000 public and private sector employees around New England and about 3,000 physicians nationwide. “It really comes down to a voice on the job, being able to impact how care is delivered,” said Daniel Morse, assistant director of organizing for AFSCME Council 93. “They feel as though the hospital is working at 100 percent capacity all the time, which makes it really tough for them to really render the care they want to give to the community.” Salem Hospital, the largest health care provider on the North Shore, said delivering high-quality care is its top priority. “We strongly believe that we can achieve these results for our patients and staff by working together in direct and respectful partnership to solve the very real issues that are facing physicians and healthcare institutions across the country,” associate chief medical officer Patrick L. Gordan said in a statement. “We always seek to engage our frontline caregivers in decision making and we are committed to continuing to work together.” Unionizing is a relatively recent phenomenon among physicians. Just over 7 percent of practicing physicians, nearly 68,000 doctors, belonged to unions in 2019, according to the most recent estimates by the American Medical Association — up from as few as 14,000 in 1998. But with burnout and staffing shortages rising during the pandemic, and more doctors working for large health care systems as the industry consolidates, the share of physicians seeking union representation has increased in recent years. Last year, doctors and other employees at Fenway Health voted to join 1199SEIU, part of the Service Employees International Union.