Laguna Hills, Calif. — In a precedent-setting decision, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that Centers for Family Medicine, GP and Healthcare Partners Medical Group, P.C.—affiliates of OptumCare—violated federal labor law by terminating 10 hospitalists in retaliation for union organizing. The ruling orders reinstatement and full backpay, making the physicians whole for lost wages.
OptumCare affiliates are expected to pay an estimated $5-6 million in backpay, covering nearly three years plus 5-7% interest. Each physician is projected to receive approximately $600,000.
The affected physicians are part of a hospitalist bargaining unit across Orange County hospitals, including Saddleback Medical Center, Mission Hospital, MemorialCare Orange Coast Hospital, Los Alamitos Hospital, and Fountain Valley Regional Hospital. The group filed for union representation with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) on February 9, 2023, and won majority support. The NLRB certified UAPD as the unit’s exclusive representative on August 17, 2023.
Just two months later, on October 26, 2023, 10 hospitalists—each an active member of the organizing committee—were notified their contracts would be terminated effective January 24, 2024. The employer did not notify UAPD or provide an opportunity to bargain, as required under federal labor law.
UAPD supported both the terminated physicians and the bargaining unit members throughout the dispute, coordinating legal strategy, maintaining solidarity, and ensuring continued representation during a prolonged litigation process. UAPD representative Indya Adams played a central role, working directly with affected hospitalists and providing key testimony before the NLRB.
After nearly three years of litigation, the ruling affirms that physicians working in the private healthcare sector have legal protections to organize and that retaliatory terminations carry significant legal and financial consequences for employers.
This case is believed to be the first of its kind in the private healthcare sector to secure a full remedy for physicians terminated due to union activity, setting an important precedent for organizing efforts nationwide.
Affected hospitalists now have the option to return to their positions, restoring the UAPD bargaining unit to 50 physicians.
A doctor involved in the case noted that healthcare conglomerates must recognize and respect physicians’ rights to organize and advocate for their working conditions and patient care.
About the Union of American Physicians and Dentists
Established in 1972, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) is the largest bicoastal union for licensed doctors and advanced practice clinicians in the nation—representing more than 7,000 private and public-sector healthcare practitioners. Affiliated with AFSCME and the AFL-CIO, UAPD brings the strength of the labor movement to the aid of providers in the interest of better medicine for all. Learn more at www.uapd.com.
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