The last several years have seen an uptick in union activity by physicians and other healthcare workers, and 2025 was no different.
Becker’s has reported on at least 38 healthcare strikes in 2025, as well as eight other union-related updates that specifically included physicians.
According to a study published in 2024 by JAMA, fewer than 10% of physicians in the U.S. are unionized, but the number of union drives from 2023 to 2024 alone represented 3,523 new physicians, almost the same number represented by unions over the last 22 years.
These data point to increased and sustained union activity, but physicians remain relatively split when asked about their feelings on unionization among their colleagues. According to a Medscape survey released in August, about half of the 1,571 physicians who responded said they felt positively towards unionization, compared with 24% who said they were unsupportive or very unsupportive, with the remainder expressing neutrality on the subject.
Physician well-being, autonomy, compensation and healthcare were key issues among union activity in 2025. In November, when University of Massachusetts resident physicians, interns and fellows employed by Worcester-based UMass Chan Medical School ratified a new contract, union members secured a 9.5% compensation increase over three years in addition to a $5,000 annual stipend for mental health services per person, per household and other educational and health-related benefits.
“A fair contract for UMass housestaff means better care for central Massachusetts patients,” Dipavo Banerjee, DO, UMass addiction psychiatry fellow and member of the bargaining team, said in a news release Nov. 11. “As cuts to vital health services, including Medicaid, hurt our Worcester community, investing in front-line caregivers is essential for protecting top-quality patient care.”
A contract ratified by residents and fellow physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore included similar provisions, reflecting a focus on improving both monetary and work-life benefits for union members.
