Members,
This May Day, International Workers’ Day, we honor you and reaffirm our commitment to defending your rights. Dignity, safety, and fairness in the workplace are not a guarantee, they must be fought for.
As physicians, dentists, and advanced practice clinicians, you are the backbone of our healthcare system. Patients depend on your expertise and judgment. Yet, the environment in which you deliver care is being threatened. Funding cuts that compromise patient care. Staffing levels stretched to its limits. Administrative decisions that undermine clinical judgment. Corporate priorities placing profits over patient outcomes. And the constant pressure to do more with less at the expense of both patients and providers. With every policy decision made by those without medical training, your autonomy is at stake. These challenges won’t be solved by waiting. They’ll be solved by us standing together and refusing to accept a diminished profession.
We are asking you to join the good fight. To stand with us in solidarity.
Our union was built on the belief that clinicians who stand together can improve not only their working conditions, but the quality of care their patients receive. These two things are inseparable. When you are overworked, patients suffer. When your judgment is overridden by administrators, patients suffer. When burnout drives talented clinicians out of the profession, patients suffer. Fighting for your rights as a union member is an act of advocacy for your patients.
When we bargain together, we don’t just negotiate better contracts—we set the standard for how healthcare should work. Every protection in your contract exists because you and your colleagues chose to stand together. That is the power of a union.
Moving forward, we ask you to recommit to our cause. Not just for each other, but for our patients:
- Speak Up: refuse to let employers silence your voice. Know your rights and stay vocal. Your voice is power.
- Stand Up: participate in collective actions and demonstrations to show employers, legislators, and our communities that we will not be sidelined.
- Show Up: attend a membership meeting and make your voice heard to drive our collective strategy.
- Organize: connect with your colleagues who have yet to get involved. Invite them. One conversation can change someone’s relationship to our union.
The future of our profession will be shaped by what we do now. Thank you for the work you do every single day and for standing with us in the fight to protect it. We are proud to represent you today, and every day.
In solidarity,
Stuart Bussey, MD, JD
UAPD President