The group is the latest in a wave of union organizing at Oregon’s second-largest health system as rumblings of an OHSU and Legacy merger continue.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - On May 7, physicians, physician associates and nurse practitioners at Legacy’s Primary Care clinics announced their intent to unionize with the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNWHMA). The 150 providers are unionizing to ensure patient safety; increase retention, recruitment and respect of caregivers; implement safe staffing that will decrease burnout while improving caregiver wellbeing; and have a voice at the table as the details of the OHSU and Legacy merger unfold. The group submitted union authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) May 8. The NLRB is expected to hold a hearing and set an election date in the coming weeks.  

“As a group we feel we can have a much more unified and constructive approach for meaningful healthcare change by unionizing. We have seen many negative changes to the healthcare system. Primary care has a significant level of burnout, as evidenced by the numbers of primary care providers leaving this profession,” said Dr. Angela Marshall Olson at Raleigh Hills Primary Care. “Patients must be our first concern. It’s vital for us to have a place at the table to discuss provider retention strategies, which will elevate patient care and staff satisfaction.”

Unionizing providers work at the following Legacy facilities: 

Emmanuel Region
Legacy Medical Group–Broadway
Legacy Medical Group–Emanuel 
Legacy Medical Group–Northeast

Good Samaritan Region
Legacy Medical Group–Cornell
Legacy Medical Group–Good Samaritan
Legacy Medical Group–Northwest
Legacy Medical Group–Raleigh Hills
Legacy Medical Group–St. Helens
Legacy Medical Group–Westside Internal Medicine

Meridian Park Region
Legacy Medical Group–Bridgeport
Legacy Medical Group–Canby
Legacy Medical Group–Lake Oswego
Legacy Medical Group–Woodburn
Legacy Medical Group–Tualatin

Mt. Hood Region
Legacy Medical Group–Firwood
Legacy Medical Group–Mt. Hood

Silverton Region
Legacy Medical Group–Silverton
Legacy Medical Group–Mt. Angel
Legacy Medical Group–Woodburn Health Center
Legacy Medical Group–Silverton Family Medicine
Legacy Medical Group–Molalla Family Medicine

Salmon Creek Region, Vancouver, WA
Legacy Medical Group–Camas
Legacy Medical Group–Family Wellness
Legacy Medical Group–Salmon Creek Family Medicine
Legacy Medical Group–Salmon Creek Internal Medicine

“I’m participating in the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association because a provider’s need for representation has never been greater. Happier providers make for happier patients, and our combined goal should always be to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes,” said Chris Stamatakos, Physician Associate at Salmon Creek Primary Care. “Provider satisfaction should be a central tenet to helping achieve organizational goals, despite the many challenges in healthcare today. I look forward to PNWHMA being a positive force for needed changes at Legacy, while we continue our history of doing the best for our deserving patients.”

The PNWHMA is a physician and advanced practice provider union represented by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and staffed by the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). If the providers vote in favor of representation, they will join the nearly 200 hospitalists at six Legacy hospitals who overwhelmingly voted to unionize with PNWHMA last year along with the 17 physicians from Legacy Women’s Clinic who voted to unionize in early 2024.  

Although nurses have advocated for better patient care and working conditions in Oregon for nearly 120 years, new groups of Oregon healthcare workers are now joining or forming their own unions in large numbers. Twenty years ago, few US physicians were part of a union, but as healthcare systems have become larger and more corporate, doctors see collective bargaining as the best way to ensure their voices are heard in decisions that affect their patients and their profession. 

Legacy Health is a private nonprofit health system that operates eight hospitals and more than 70 clinics in Oregon and Washington. The health system spent many weeks in the 2023 news cycle after illegally attempting to close the Family Birth Center at Legacy Mt. Hood, the horrific acts of violence in the workplace at Legacy Good Samaritan, and its announcement to combine with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

The Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNWHMA) was created in 2015 as the first hospitalist-specific labor union in the United States. It has since expanded to represent more doctors and advanced practice providers. PNWHMA is affiliated with AFT Healthcare—the fastest-growing healthcare union in the country. AFT Healthcare represents more than 200,000 members in 100 locals in 18 states and territories. 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents a diverse community of 18,000 nurses, and healthcare professionals throughout Oregon. Together, we use our collective power to advocate for critical issues impacting patients, nurses, and health are professionals including a more effective, affordable and accessible healthcare system; better working conditions for all health care professionals; and healthier communities. For more information visit www.OregonRN.org.