On February 24, the Wall Street Journal published an intriguing item in its popular 'Work Week' feature. Titled "Doctors Unite", the article reported that the association of machinists of the AFL-CIO, one of the country's largest trade unions, had organised 800 of the 14,000 private practice physicians in the eastern state of New Jersey. Two days earlier, the New York Times wrote that in California, the state's medical association decided to consider setting up a union subsidiary to bargain collectively for state-government employed doctors and residents. The 35,000 strong medical association expects to make its decision by May.