Multiple daily news articles describe healthcare professionals (direct healthcare workers) considering unions, some legally challenged by promoting unions, and/or on strike to advocate for work inequities.
From nurses to residents, physicians and midwives nearly all direct healthcare workers within health systems and hospitals are all churning with uncertainty as this discussion grows by the day.
Let’s look across the pond to the UK at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). The RCM functions as both a professional association and trade union, solely dedicated to serving midwives and maternity support workers. Evolving from an 1881 advocacy group, it officially became a trade union in 1976. “Being a member of the RCM means that you are joining over 50,000 midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) who together are the largest and strongest maternity organisation in the world.” Pause on that thought of midwifery representation on a national scale that took place in the UK in 1976, then fast forward to The Pay Campaign of 2026, RCMs latest union work. https://rcm.org.uk/campaigning-for-you/2026-pay-campaign/
Research is underway on the impact of unionization on provider and patient variables, but the jury still seems to be out. One recent study found, “DCW [direct care worker] unionization was shown to improve wages and benefits, improve job satisfaction and retention, and improve care quality and safety. However, unionization showed varied findings on patient outcomes.” (2024) A total of 19 studies met inclusion criteria; they were predominantly observational (94%), with local (50%) and national (50%) samples. Three studies focused on compensation and al found that unionization was associated with higher wages and benefits among Direct Care Workers.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11658852
Where MIGHT we go from here as a small tribe of MIDWIVES, serving as direct healthcare workers in challenging healthcare systems?
If interested in conversation, willing to share union experiences, challenges faced by those in-process, and moreover WANT to think about what is POSSIBLE, message ginger@growmidwives.com