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As Covid Surges, Doctors Are Striking Against "Retail Health"

A conversation with Dr. Amir Atabeygi, a physician at MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care in Thurston County, Washington.

Maximillian Alvarez

UAPD Pacific Northwest/Twitter

We’re back with Season Four of Working People! In this urgent episode, we talk with Dr. Amir Atabeygi, a physician at MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care in Thurston County, Washington. On November 23, amid a terrifying surge in COVID-19 cases around the country, Dr. Atabeygi joins his fellow physicians, physician assistants, and advanced registered nurse practitioners on the picket line as they strike for the basic safety measures their employer refuses to provide. We talk to Dr. Atabeygi about what he and his coworkers face on the job, the rise of ​“retail health” companies like MultiCare Health Systems, and the growing labor consciousness of traditionally non-unionized healthcare workers.

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Maximillian Alvarez is editor-in-chief at the Real News Network and host of the podcast Working People, available at InThe​se​Times​.com. He is also the author of The Work of Living: Working People Talk About Their Lives and the Year the World Broke.

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