FAQs

A union is a business which represents employees in the workplace. Union members pay for “representation” through dues. Unions claim to improve their members’ terms and conditions of employment, often promising better pay, benefits, and job security. However, unions can’t actually guarantee those promises, so members could end up with more, the same, or less than what they had before.

Established in 1972, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) is an affiliate of AFSCME and the AFL-CIO based in Sacramento, CA. UAPD represents approximately 4,500 private and public sector healthcare practitioners. 

Pursuant to NLRB, Fred Hutch is required to provide UAPD with your name, title, shift, home address, home phone number, cell phone number and personal email address. We respect your right to privacy, and under any other circumstances we would NOT share your personal information with an outside group. UAPD organizers are allowed to contact you, and they likely will. It’s important to remember that you always have the right not to speak with them and ask them not to contact you again.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent U.S. federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

With a union, terms and conditions of your employment such as pay, schedules, benefits and other items must be negotiated through collective bargaining, which happens between a union and an employer. Collective bargaining is a complex, time-consuming process that, on average, takes over a year to complete.

Organizers from the UAPD and other non-employee representatives of any outside organization are prohibited from soliciting or distributing literature on Fred Hutch property. Therefore, union representatives are not allowed to hand out flyers to patients, visitors or caregivers in the parking lot.

Union representatives are permitted in any area on our campus that is otherwise open to the public. However, UAPD representatives are not permitted in patient care areas or other work areas where access is restricted to Fred Hutch employees. Employees should be aware that UAPD frequently seeks publicity or support for its campaigns, and may reach out to patients and visitors, politicians and members of the community. If a patient or visitor asks about the union campaign and you are uncomfortable having that conversation, please have them send their questions to [email protected].

Yes, but that process is complicated, and the law prohibits Fred Hutch from providing any assistance to employees seeking to remove the union. When a group joins a union, if the initial collective bargaining contract is not in place after one year following formation, members of the bargaining unit can petition the NLRB to conduct an election to potentially remove, or decertify, the union.

However, if Fred Hutch and the union reach a contract agreement during the first year, or thereafter, you are committed to staying with the union for the duration of that initial contract. Most first contracts last three years. 

If you are represented by a union, you’d be expected to comply with two sets of rules: 

1. The contract, which could determine new rules regarding scheduling, seniority, vacation time and other things that affect your day-to-day work, and 
2. Union of American Physicians and Dentists rules as outlined in the union’s Constitution and Bylaws. 

Article 10 Section A of the UAPD Constitution provides that “the union may censure, fine, suspend, or expel a member” for failing to follow the constitution and bylaws of the Union (or local union).  Additionally, you would be required to pay dues.

If you are disciplined or fired for some reason you think is unfair, you can ask the union to file a complaint, or grievance, on your behalf. That does not guarantee you will get your job back or that the discipline will be reversed. It only guarantees a process — called a grievance procedure — and possibly arbitration that would decide whether you can be returned to work or have the discipline removed from your record.

Collective bargaining is a process by which an employer and a union negotiate on the terms and conditions of your employment, such as:

• Pay
• Benefits
• Work schedules
• Flexibility
• Other workplace adjustments

No matter what the union may tell you, there are no guarantees in collective bargaining. As a result, you could have more, less or the same as what you have without a union at Fred Hutch. 

UAPD may make promises or comparisons to other care centers to get your vote, but Fred Hutch is not required to agree to any specific proposals from the union. Collective bargaining is a complex process that is time intensive, and on average takes 461 days to get to a first contract.³

³ Purifoy, P., & Weykamp, G. (2026, May 26). Punching in: Democrats want another swing at overtime expansion. Bloomberg Law.

While a union can promise anything – including better pay, benefits and job security – it’s important to remember that there are NO GUARANTEES in collective bargaining. The union may promise you these things, but Fred Hutch is not required to agree to any specific proposals from the union. Collective bargaining is a gamble, so you could end up with more, the same or less than what you currently have. The only guarantee is that you will have to pay member dues.

No, because each employer provides different types of benefits. For example, UW-employed APPs are covered by Washington’s Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), a state-administered pension system managed by the Department of Retirement Systems.  

That pension system is not available to employees of private-sector organizations like Fred Hutch. Likewise, as non-employees of Fred Hutch, APPs employed by UW cannot participate in the retirement and health plans offered to Fred Hutch employees. 

As another example, if UAPD successfully negotiated rules or preferences regarding seniority, there would be separate seniority lists (one for UW employees and the other for Fred Hutch employees). 

Fred Hutch and UW are separate legal entities with separate funding sources, budgets and financial obligations. Due to antitrust “price fixing” concerns, Fred Hutch and UW cannot intentionally equalize their compensation rates; doing so would be unlawful collusion. Rather, Fred Hutch and UW must arrive at their compensation rates on their own, individually. 

If APPs at both Fred Hutch and UW unionize, Fred Hutch and UW still must bargain over wages separately, under their different regulatory structures, and make their own compensation decisions. Fred Hutch would in no way have any involvement in UW negotiations, and UW would have no involvement in Fred Hutch negotiations. Each organization sets its own compensation under its own policies and processes. 

https://finance.uw.edu/files/docs/ibb/uw-budget-faqs.pdf 

Many union elections are determined by a handful of votes. If you don’t vote, you’re giving others the power to make decisions about YOUR paycheck. YOUR benefits. YOUR workplace. 

Elections are decided by a majority of the votes cast — NOT the majority of APPs who work at Fred Hutch. For example, if 150 APPs work at Fred Hutch, but only 100 vote in the election and 51 vote for the union, then all 150 APPs at Fred Hutch will be represented by UAPD, even if you voted no, or didn’t vote at all. 

If you don’t vote, you’re giving up your voice to those who do.

No one will know how you voted unless you choose to tell them. Your vote is your choice and your choice alone.

Yes you can still vote no. Signing an authorization card does not force you to vote a certain way. You are still legally and morally free to vote NO.

If the majority of those casting a ballot vote to be represented by the union, then every eligible APP will be represented by UAPD, even if you didn’t vote, voted against it, or you don’t like the way the union operates.

The outcome of the election impacts everyone, so it is very important to use your voice and VOTE.

Fred Hutch and UW are separate employers, governed by separate laws for purposes of union representation. 

• Fred Hutch is a private sector employer covered by and subject to federal labor law (the National Labor Relations Act). As a result, Fred Hutch-employed APPs are voting pursuant to a petition filed by UAPD with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), following federal labor law.  

• UW is a public-sector employer covered by and subject to Washington State law. The Washington Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) is the state agency that oversees representation petitions for UW employees. As a result, APPs employed by UW filed their petition with PERC. The petition is pending and will follow a different process. 

To summarize, there are two separate petitions, governing legally separate groups of employees.

This illustrates one of the important differences between federal and state labor law and processes. For private-sector employees subject to federal law, like Fred Hutch, each affected employee has the right to vote by secret ballot. In contrast, because UW is subject to the PERC system, when more than 50 percent of UW employees sign cards indicating their interest in representation by a union, a card check can be conducted, and union representation can be certified without a vote.

No. If UAPD ends up representing APPs at both Fred Hutch and UW, there will be two distinct bargaining units and two distinct collective bargaining agreements. Fred Hutch would in no way have any involvement in UW negotiations, and UW would have no involvement in Fred Hutch negotiations.

Unions have the right to strike during negotiations. During a strike, striking workers receive no pay from their employer. And some unions can even fine you for not participating in the strike or crossing a picket line to go to work.