IAM Healthcare and The Pharmacy Guild/IAM, supported by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), hosted the first Professional Power Conference in Palm Springs, California, bringing together pharmacists and healthcare professionals from across the United States and Canada. The event took place under the theme “Professional Power in Action” on May 5.
The conference aimed to support a growing movement among healthcare professionals focused on safe staffing, patient care, workplace standards, and collective power. Many attendees were new to unions and organizing for the first time. Participants discussed seeking respect at work, having a real voice in their workplaces, maintaining safe staffing levels, ensuring strong patient protections, and upholding high standards of care.
Momentum within the pharmacy sector has increased since the 2023 “Pharmageddon” walkouts when pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at major retail chains protested unsafe staffing levels that they said put patient care at risk. This activism contributed to creating The Pharmacy Guild/IAM as a national union led by pharmacy professionals.
“IAM Healthcare and The Pharmacy Guild/IAM are about building something real for working professionals who have been pushed to the brink,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “Healthcare workers are stepping up and saying enough is enough—enough short staffing, enough corporate pressure, enough putting profits over patients. We’re building a movement so healthcare professionals finally get the respect, resources and voice they deserve.”
Chris Eggeman of The Pharmacy Guild/IAM said: “The Pharmacy Guild/IAM is giving pharmacists and pharmacy technicians a way to stand together and take back their profession. This movement is about safe staffing, protecting our patients and making sure the people delivering care have a real voice in the delivery of that care.” Kelly Williams from Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center added: “For those of us on the front lines of healthcare, this is about being able to do our jobs the right way…This conference shows we’re not alone—we’re building something bigger.”
The event included breakout sessions on workplace health, legislative action, organizing strategies in healthcare fields as well as remarks from IAM leaders such as Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett. Palm Springs Mayor Naomi Soto welcomed attendees with personal stories from her experience in healthcare advocacy.
The conference concluded with awards recognizing frontline leadership achievements among participants. Leaders pointed out that co-founders of The Pharmacy Guild continue driving efforts for safer workplaces nationwide.
“This is what professional power looks like,” Bryant said. “Workers coming together and building something bigger—and we’re just getting started.”
