Sacramento, Calif. – The Union of American Physicians & Dentists (UAPD), America’s pre-eminent union for physician representation, today announced the launch of a national organizing effort to expand union membership for doctors from coast to coast, beginning with a campaign organizing 10,000 Attending Physicians at the University of California’s healthcare systems.
“Our profession, our patients, and our quality of life are under attack from hedge funds and private equity billionaires who look at our healthcare system as a cash cow, not the institution Americans turn to for care, often in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives,” said UAPD President Dr. Stuart Bussey. “Doctors face longer hours, stagnant pay, and administrative intrusion into patient decisions. We’ll bring doctors together as one voice to push back on corporate taskmasters so they can reclaim their profession and their own wellbeing.”
UAPD held a kick-off town hall with UC physicians on August 24, 2026, to introduce UAPD as America’s preeminent union representing attending physicians and academic senate members and begin a dialogue about the benefits of creating a doctor-driven union.
Newly elected AFSCME national president Patrick Moran joined the town hall, expressing strong support for the new organizing effort, his belief in UAPD’s mission, and shared his concern for what UC doctors face in the workplace, relating his history and experience as a former longtime healthcare organizer.
UAPD is uniquely positioned to deliver for physicians based on its contract negotiation track record, resource allocation to member representation, and 54-year history of stability and continuity standing up for doctors.
“We fight for the rights and rewards of our individual doctor members AND the profession, practice, and principles of medicine our doctors want upheld in the face of administrative interference and corporate robber-baronism,” said R. Douglas Chiappetta, UAPD Executive Director. “It’s about their wellness, what’s best for patients, and a stronger, more sustainable healthcare system.”
In addition to doctor quality-of-life issues, contract negotiation & enforcement, and professional development, UAPD is unique from other organizations in several ways that advantage the individual and their practice of medicine, including possessing an understanding of, and sole dedication to, the nuances and experiences of being a trained and tested clinician. Among other manifestations of that are unparalleled knowledge of what to prioritize at the bargaining table and how to get it, and legislative advocacy that addresses attacks on the medical profession by convincing lawmakers to pass legislation. That work includes recent victories seeking to backfill Trump Administration cuts to university research grants and legislation prohibiting administrators from changing doctor notes regarding patient care.
“Our patients deserve physicians who can speak up, our profession deserves a seat at the table, and our voice is strongest when we stand together,” said Dr. Venus Oliva, DO, an urgent care physician at UCLA. “Colleagues, I urge you to join UAPD. Add your voice. Strengthen our profession.” “We’re bringing the message to physicians at UC that UAPD is a union of physicians, for physicians, with a unique ability to deliver for them personally, for their professional well-being, and their practice of medicine,” added Pierre King, director of UAPD’s University of California organizing campaign. “We’ll fight harder and smarter for physicians than anyone else out there. That is our mission.”
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.
Contact: Matthew Reilly, matt@reillyconsult.com
###