Physicians and advanced practice clinicians vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike as contract negotiations remain unresolved
Bay Area, Calif. — More than 160 providers at LifeLong Medical Care will go on strike Monday, September 28, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in front of the William Jenkins Health Center. The providers, represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), are taking this step after months of negotiations failed to resolve concerns about workload, staffing, compensation and protections for their professional judgment.
This action follows lunchtime pickets at six LifeLong health center locations across the East Bay on September 23, where providers urged leadership to bargain in good faith before the contract expires on Sunday, September 27.
“No provider wants to be outside the clinic instead of in the exam room with their patient,” said Dr. Stuart Bussey, UAPD president. “But these clinicians voted overwhelmingly to strike because they have run out of other ways to be heard. After nearly 10 months of trying to work with LifeLong to find meaningful solutions to address the increasing workloads and staffing challenges affecting both providers and patients. We are concerned with how patient care is going to be affected if these issues go unaddressed.”
For those who work in community health, providers say their issues are inseparable from patient care. If workloads become unsustainable, providers can experience burnout and leave, disrupting the continuity of care that patients rely on. Providers say they want a contract that supports the long-term stability of the workforce and the patients they serve.
“I’m striking because I care about my patients and the health of our community,” said a LifeLong clinician. “Time and time again, my colleagues and I have asked for reasonable protections surrounding workloads that would allow us to provide the care our patients deserve, yet management has not changed their stance since we started negotiations in December 2025.”
One-Day Strike Details
WHAT: Strike by LifeLong Medical Care physicians and advanced practice clinicians
WHEN: Monday, September 28, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
*Rally and press conference: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: LifeLong William Jenkins Health Center
150 Harbour Way, Richmond, CA 94801
WHO: Approximately 160 LifeLong Medical Care providers represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, patients, labor allies, and community health advocates
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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