We are a union of physicians, dentists, and health practitioners/professionals working together to ensure that our members have an effective voice in decisions that affect their well-being and their ability to provide quality healthcare.
We accomplish our mission by:
- Bargaining contracts that improve wages and working conditions, expand our role in decision making, and build a stronger union;
- Building political power to ensure that members’ voices are heard in the political and legislative process at every level of government;
- Ensuring our members have a voice in legislative and policy decisions affecting them and their ability to provide quality care;
- Educating our members and our communities about issues impacting healthcare and the public health;
- Organizing to extend the benefits of the Union to new members and to strengthen our collective voice;
- Promoting constructive labor-management relations;
- Building coalitions with other organizations who share our concern for accessible and quality healthcare; and
- Advocating on behalf of our patients and our communities for accessible and high-quality healthcare.
As a result of our efforts:
- Our member wages, benefits and working conditions reflect the knowledge and responsibilities inherent in their work as healthcare providers;
- Our members have the authority and the resources to provide quality care;
- Our healthcare facilities are able to recruit and maintain healthcare professionals; and
- The public and our political leadership understand the need for policies to create a patient-center, practitioner-led healthcare system.
Our work is guided by the following principles:
- High quality, affordable and safe healthcare is a basic human right;
- Healthcare professionals must have meaningful involvement in decisions at all levels of healthcare;
- All workers have the right to participate in decisions which affect them, to work in a safe and healthy environment, and to be treated with dignity and respect;
- As a union we must be transparent and accountable in our decision making and cultivate an environment of open and honest communication;
- The effectiveness of our union depends on the active involvement of our members; and
- As professionals, we can improve both our professional status and quality of the healthcare when we are united and advocate collectively.
Our vision is of a strong and effective union representing physicians, dentists, and other healthcare providers across the state of California and beyond. Representing the interests of our members in the workplace, the country, and the state capitol, UAPD affirms the dignity and value of our members and the work they perform.