On the Picket Line

Delaware doctors unionize

Physicians from Christiana Hospital voted to unionize this month, becoming the first unit in Delaware of the Doctors Council. Wilmington Hospital and Middletown Freestanding Emergency Room are also seeking to be represented by the Doctors Council union.

The Doctors Council originated in New York City in 1959 as the Doctors Association, merged with the Public Health Physicians Association in 1973 to become a single collective bargaining unit and then affiliated with the Service Employees Union (SEIU) in 1999. The Council has members in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and now Delaware. 

Christiana doctors organized, because they were concerned about understaffing and “corporatization.” The days of the private practice physician hanging their shingle and working independently are in the past. Most physicians are now employees of health care conglomerates and are finding, like nurses, that profit-driven administrators are unwilling to take into consideration health care workers’ demand to put patients over profits.

Doctors Council President Dr. Frances Quee stated, “This historic win will pave the way for physicians around the country to organize to regain control of their practices and fight for their patients.” (tinyurl.com/mw2emeju)

Museum union movement grows

Workers at the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) in Manhattan’s Upper West Side voted on June 6 for union representation, joining the growing numbers of unionized museum workers. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Guggenheim and Art Institute of Chicago are just a few of the prestigious museums on the list of unionized museums. 

“Museum workers realized that the human resource policies in terms of pay and benefits were oftentimes byzantine,” said Tom Juravich, a professor who researches labor movements at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “They realized that they were being treated more like servants to the elite.” (nytimes.com, Feb. 22)

The museum workers voted unanimously to join United Auto Workers Local 2110. The AFAM union includes staff across various departments, including curatorial, retail, education and information technology.

Flight attendant union demands Delta end harassment

Recently two Delta flight attendants wearing Palestine flag pins were photographed without their consent. Then the photos were posted on Delta’s social media along with inflammatory racist accusations. Delta’s response on social media legitimized the harassment and failed to point out that there is a long-standing practice allowing flight attendants to wear flags representing their origins. 

The Delta Association of Flight Attendants quickly acted and drafted a letter expressing the union’s outrage. In the letter to Delta management, the AFA demanded Delta publicly apologize to the flight attendants who Delta failed to protect against bigotry, issue a statement that no flight crew should be photographed without their consent while on duty and that Delta corporate immediately review social media strategy so they are better able to uphold the values of diversity and inclusion that Delta claims. 

Flight crews have experienced an increase in aggressive verbal and physical harassment since 2020. The steering committee of the Delta AFA stated: “Everyone should be able to freely express their pride and support for their heritage without encountering hostility or discrimination from employers or customers. We strongly condemn the racist sentiment in our company’s response to this incident. Bigotry has no place in our society. It attacks the very core values of respect and equality.” (deltaafa.org, July 11)