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IAM Healthcare and The Pharmacy Guild/IAM, backed by the 600,000-member IAM Union, hosted the first-ever Professional Power Conference in Palm Springs, Calif., bringing together pharmacists and healthcare professionals from across the United States and Canada to build momentum for a growing movement focused on safe staffing, patient care, workplace standards and collective power.
The conference, under the theme of “Professional Power in Action,” marked a key step in healthcare professionals building their power and the IAM’s growth into healthcare, pharmacy and other professional sectors, with many attendees new to unions and organizing for the first time. Professionals joined together seeking respect on the job, a real voice in their workplaces, safe staffing levels, strong patient protections and the ability to uphold the highest standards of care.
The event comes amid a broader shift, with more professional workers organizing than ever before. For the IAM, this work goes beyond jobs—it’s about protecting patients, strengthening communities and preserving the integrity of critical professions—and reflects a long-term commitment to growing professional power in healthcare.
View Professional Power 2026 photos here.
Momentum in the pharmacy sector has accelerated since the 2023 “Pharmageddon” walkouts, when pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across major retail chains took collective action to protest unsafe staffing and unmanageable workloads that put patient care at risk. That wave of activism helped spark the creation of The Pharmacy Guild/IAM, the first national union built by and for 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.”
Through IAM Healthcare, the IAM is investing in organizing, bargaining and advocacy efforts to support healthcare professionals and strengthen standards across the industry.
Workers and leaders pointed to the expanding CVS organizing campaign as a clear example of this movement in action, with pharmacy professionals nationwide organizing and escalating for safe staffing, fair treatment and the resources needed to protect patient care.
“The Pharmacy Guild/IAM is giving pharmacists and pharmacy technicians a way to stand together and take back their profession,” said Chris Eggeman, Pharmacy Guild/IAM leader based in CVS’s home state of Rhode Island. “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.”
“For those of us on the front lines of healthcare, this is about being able to do our jobs the right way,” said Kelly Williams, Chief Steward for IAM Healthcare-represented professionals at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “We’re coming together to push for safe staffing, better working conditions and the ability to provide the level of care our patients deserve. This conference shows we’re not alone—we’re building something bigger.”
The conference also featured remarks from IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett, IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez, and IAM Training and Apprenticeship General Vice President Jon Holden, highlighting the union’s commitment to investing in healthcare professionals and growing organizing efforts across professional fields.
Attendees participated in breakout sessions on workplace health and well-being, legislative and political action, and organizing and bargaining in healthcare, alongside presentations from IAM directors and healthcare workers across the U.S. and Canada.
Palm Springs Mayor Naomi Soto helped open the conference with a powerful welcome to the city, sharing personal stories from her experience in the healthcare field and her advocacy for reproductive rights, underscoring the importance of workers having a voice both on the job and in their communities. Video messages from supportive elected officials, including U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, as well as U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz, an emergency room doctor with a strong record of healthcare advocacy, reinforced the growing support behind healthcare professionals’ efforts to raise standards and protect patient care.
A highlight of the conference’s programming was a pharmacy-focused comedy show, offering attendees a chance to connect, reflect and build solidarity through shared experiences in the profession.
The conference also recognized frontline leadership with the first-ever Professional Power Builder Awards, honoring healthcare professionals for their organizing and negotiating achievements.
Leaders pointed to the role of Pharmacy Guild co-founders in helping drive this movement forward, as pharmacy professionals across the country continue to organize for safer workplaces, safe staffing and better patient outcomes.
The IAM, representing 600,000 active and retired members, is committing its full resources to support healthcare professionals as they organize, bargain and win.
“This is what professional power looks like,” said Bryant. “Workers coming together and building something bigger—and we’re just getting started.”
