Tools to promote our union

What options and tools do we have available for us to succeed?

Answer:  Many options are available to show our support for our union and to help to move it forward.  Our greatest tool and strength is our unity.  Working together in a supportive, unified way will allow us to build a strong, democratic, collaborative union.  We are strong when we talk with each other to sift through disinformation, identify efforts to split us, and address misrepresentations of what we stand for.  United, we cannot be defeated.

During our campaign, we can wear buttons, clothing, and other union insignia at work that show our support for the union, as long as they do not interfere with MGB's dress code. 

Under labor law, we are free to talk and advocate for the union during non-work time, such as before or after work or during break times.  We can distribute union literature during non-work time, in non-work areas, such as parking lots or break rooms.  As a useful rule, an employer cannot prohibit physicians from talking about a union during working time if they permit you to talk about other non-work-related matters during working time.

There are lots of specific tools that can be used to promote our union throughout our campaign and during contract negotiations, including various on-the-job actions, support and pressure on MGB from community/patients/politicians, media exposure, etc. 

As a primary care physician group, we have certain advantages in our efforts to start a union.  We are likely to draw significant media and community attention, given MGB's unique position as a national leader in health care delivery, and given the spotlight that has been on the problematic state of primary care locally and nationally.

We believe that we have an opportunity for a better future through a union than by simply allowing things to stay the way they are now. 

Physicians in locations such as New York City and Illinois have negotiated successful union contracts as Doctors Council members for decades. Negotiating a contract is hard, takes time, and will no doubt be frustrating at times, but the labor movement is full of successful examples of professionals who have built strong unions.