The state's largest health system is challenging a vote by some of its primary care providers to unionize, creating a bump in the road for the historic effort.
Banner Health on Sept. 10 filed a challenge with the National Labor Relations Board that accuses primary-care providers who were part of a union organization effort
of getting their colleagues to sign union authorization cards in exchange for free legal advice.Organizers deny the claims. They say that as part of the organizing effort they informed their co-workers of the legal rights that unions afford, but not promises of free legal advice were made.
"The allegations are completely unfounded," said Dr. Justin Watkins, a Gilbert primary-care physician who works for Banner Health and helped
start the union organizing effort about 18 months ago. "They (Banner) are intentionally misrepresenting what we did to create a speed bump, a delay tactic to delay how long it takes to get to the bargaining table."
The Valley primary care group, comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants (also known as physician associates) voted 149-66 on Sept. 2 in favor of unionizing, citing burnout and high turnover that is compromising patient care.
A hearing at which Banner Health will be expected to present its legal argument over the claims about coercion was scheduled Sept. 24 at the Phoenix office of the NLRB, said lead organizer Sebastian Gomez from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, or UAPD.
Officials with the NLRB did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic's request for comment on Sept. 11.
The providers' group "very strongly disagrees" with Banner Health's claims and remains confident that the NLRB will certify the union election, Gomez said.
"The burden will be on them (Banner Health) to provide evidence," Gomez said.
If at least 30% of employees in a workplace sign a union authorization card, the union may petition the NLRB to hold an election.
Banner's challenge says that the union "unlawfully interfered with the conduct of the election," "created an atmosphere of coercion," "interfered with employees’ free choice" and "undermined the laboratory conditions necessary to conduct a free and fair election."
If certified, union will be a first-ever within Banner Health
In an emailed written statement, Banner Health on Sept. 11 said that the company "respects our clinicians and their right to decide whether they want union representation" but that they had "identified an issue regarding the recent election that we believe warrants review through the National Labor Relations Board’s well-established protocols."
The statement says company leaders "remain focused on supporting our clinicians and working together across Banner Health to provide the highest-quality care for our patients and communities."
The company had urged employees to vote no on unionization "so Banner can remain strong as one team."
Banner's challenge at least temporarily prevents the results of the union vote from getting certified.
If the results do end up getting certified, about 268 primary care doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who work for Banner Medical Group will be represented by the UAPD, which is part of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the AFL-CIO.
The unionization will be historic, too − the first-ever union to form within Banner Health and the first union in Arizona to include physicians.
Banner Health has locations in multiple states, but Arizona comprises its largest workforce, with about 46,700 employees statewide as of 2025. Banner Health in 2025 was the largest nongovernment employer in the state, according to rankings from The Republic.
The number of employees that are part of the union effort is small in comparison to the company's total workforce, but Watkins previously toldthe Republic that he'd heard from other employees within the Banner Health system who were interested in unionizing, too.
"I certainly hope that it inspires other physicians and providers to look at whether they feel they are being treated fairly and to consider unionization as a legitimate option that can succeed, since we've just demonstrated that it can," Watkins said Sept. 2 after the votes were tallied.
Watkins on Sept. 11 said he was impressed with the NLRB for scheduling a hearing so quickly.
"We believe they will find this is a baseless accusation," he said.
Reach health-care reporter Stephanie Innes at stephanie.innes@usatodayco.com or follow her on X: @stephanieinnes or on Bluesky: @stephanieinnes.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Banner Health claims coercion in doctors' historic union vote effort
