The crisis in health care is convincing more and more health professionals that they can only defend standards of quality patient care by coming together in unions. This summer, the American Nurses Association and the American Medical Association both decided to form unions. About half of the ANA's state associations already bargain collectively. A new national group, United American Nurses, will coordinate and expand union efforts.

"We look forward to working with the new ANA union," says FNHP program and policy council chair Candice Owley. "Nurses' unions are the first line of defense for quality health care in this era of managed care and cost cutting. Health care unions cooperate on a broad range of issues, and the addition of another powerful union will help us all."

Nurses have been joining FNHP/AFT and other AFL-CIO unions in ever-growing numbers during the past few years as hospitals have shown a willingness to sacrifice patients and nurses alike in their effort to slash spending.

Thousands of doctors have also been joining unions. The AMA, traditionally a highly conservative organization, voted to form a union just four days after the ANA acted.