1. Download Offcall's New Referral Tool for Clinicians! Join our private referral network and sign our open letter to fix referrals. Download here ## We value your privacy Our website uses Cookies to personalize, analyze (including by way of session replay technology) and improve our Services, and advertise to you in connection with your use of our Services. By clicking \[Accept all\], you agree to the use of these Cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Accept allReject all Manage preferences [Privacy Policy](/content/legal/privacy-policy/index.html) [Terms of Use](/content/legal/terms-of-service/index.html) [Podcast](/content/learn/podcast/index.html) # Should Doctors Unionize? The Story of Why Physicians at Salem Hospital Joined a Union to Take Back Power with Dr. Sean Codier Offcall Team ## **Key Podcast Moments** - How worsening overcrowding, understaffing, and corporatization left Salem Hospital physicians feeling powerless and why they decided collective action was their only option. - The surprising reality of physician unions: what they actually do, how they form, and how they’re being used to compel hospital leadership to negotiate. - The fear tactics and misinformation often used to discourage doctors from organizing and the truth behind myths like “pay leveling” and “third-party interference.” - The biggest questions and myths about unionization for physicians and what Salem Hospital physicians have seen since they unionized in terms of outcomes. Should Doctors Unionize? The Story of Why Physicians at Salem Hospital Joined a Union to Take Back Power with Dr. Sean Codier - How I Doctor with Dr. Graham Walker Should Doctors Unionize? The Story of Why Physicians at Salem Hospital Joined a Union to Take Back Power with Dr. Sean Codier Episode 52 • 30th October 2025 • How I Doctor with Dr. Graham Walker • Offcall 00:00:0000:42:16 _1_ Notes Links Follow Notes Links Follow ### Share Episode ShareCopy link Start at EmbedCopy code [Share to LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://player.captivate.fm/episode/93acc220-9a59-4e00-87a1-18af60594311/&title=Should+Doctors+Unionize%3F+The+Story+of+Why+Physicians+at+Salem+Hospital+Joined+a+Union+to+Take+Back+Power+with+Dr.+Sean+Codier&summary=) Share to Facebook [Share to X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https://player.captivate.fm/episode/93acc220-9a59-4e00-87a1-18af60594311/&text=Should+Doctors+Unionize%3F+The+Story+of+Why+Physicians+at+Salem+Hospital+Joined+a+Union+to+Take+Back+Power+with+Dr.+Sean+Codier) ### Shownotes **We're releasing a Physicians AI Whitepaper and need your help!** Calling all MDs: Help us shape the future of what AI looks like in medicine. [Participate Here!](https://tally.so/r/n0pxeN) [Dr. Sean Codier](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-codier-54563a16/) is an emergency physician at Salem Hospital within Mass General Brigham and one of the leaders behind the first [successful physician unionization effort](https://salemphysiciansunion.org/) in the system’s history. What started as frustration over understaffing, overcrowding, and a lack of voice in patient-care decisions grew into a movement that’s now inspiring doctors nationwide to organize for change. In this episode of _How I Doctor_, Dr. Graham Walker talks with Dr. Codier about why more physicians are turning to unions as their only legal avenue to force real dialogue with hospital leadership. They discuss how the corporatization of medicine has stripped doctors of autonomy, the myths administrators use to discourage organizing, and what it actually looks like to form and run a physician union. Dr. Codier also shares the personal risks, lessons learned, and why he believes reclaiming physicians’ collective voice is essential to protecting both the profession and the patients we serve. This episode is a candid look at how medicine reached this crossroads and asks whether the future of physician advocacy depends on this form of collective power. **What You’ll Learn in This Episode:** - Why more physicians are unionizing and what that process really involves. - The biggest myths hospitals spread about unions — and what’s actually true. - The personal and professional risks of organizing inside large health systems. - Whether unionization is a long-term solution to help physicians reclaim medicine’s moral core. 🩺 Offcall is more than a platform — it’s a community. [Join today](/content/site-root.html)! 📝 For a full transcript of this episode click [**HERE**](/content/learn/podcast/should-doctors-unionize-sean-codier/index.html) 🎧 Subscribe to receive new How I Doctor episodes directly in your feed here: [https://episodes.fm/1767429315](https://episodes.fm/1767429315) 👨‍⚕️Follow Dr. Graham Walker on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-walker-md/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-walker-md/) IG [https://www.instagram.com/ubergraham/](https://www.instagram.com/ubergraham/) Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/drgrahamwalker.com](https://bsky.app/profile/drgrahamwalker.com) ✉️ Join our newsletter On/Offcall here [https://offcall.beehiiv.com/subscribe](https://offcall.beehiiv.com/subscribe) 🟧 Follow Offcall on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinoffcall/](https://www.linkedin.com/company/joinoffcall/) IG [https://www.instagram.com/offcalldotcom/](https://www.instagram.com/offcalldotcom/) TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@offcalldotcom](https://www.tiktok.com/@offcalldotcom) Mentioned in this episode: **We're releasing a Physicians AI Whitepaper and need your help!** Calling all MDs: Help us shape the future of what AI looks like in medicine. 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