Physician Labor Union Formation: Attitudes of 400 Physicians

James L. Frank
Jane L. McCall
William S. Rutchow
William P. Reed

DOI: 10.2190/CTKW-PK58-H276-ND3D

Abstract

While labor unions occupy a prominent position in the advocacy of other American workers, the medical profession has not embraced labor unions as a means of advocating for the needs and interests of most physicians. This study was undertaken to assess current attitudes about labor union formation among a random sample of physicians.

A survey was mailed to 1200 physicians in two medium-sized New England cities. Four hundred physicians completed the survey. Respondent demographic parameters and answers to survey questions were examined with univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression. One hundred eightyone (45%) respondents believed it was legal for physicians to form a labor union, while the remainder either did not know (41%), believed it was illegal (14%), or omitted answering (0.3%). Only twenty (5%) admitted consulting an attorney about the legality of a physician labor union. Two hundred seventy-five physicians (69%) stated they would join a union, but only 186 (45%) would participate in a strike that involved withholding elective patient care. Ethical issues were cited as the most important factor in a decision not to withhold services. Specialists and non-U.S. trained physicians were 2.6 (p = 0.004) and 2.2 (p = 0.001) times more likely to favor joining a union. Non-U.S. trained physicians, private practitioners, and specialists were 2.0 (p = 0.03), 2.1 (p = 0.04), and 2.6 (p = 0.0001) times more likely to favor participating in a strike.

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