Residents are not only asking for higher wages but for better working conditions, from longer breaks and meal options to moving stipends and wages that make living near their hospitals affordable.There are concerns that doctors taking collective action could undermine public trust and jeopardize patient safety. And the prospect of physicians walking off the jobover the summer, during a labor dispute involving 1,300 residents and fellows at three big Los Angeles County hospitals.
"The National Labor Relations Act guarantees our residents the right to determine whether or not they should be represented by a union. We respect their right to make that decision through a secret ballot process, free from outside influence," the hospital said in a statement issued on Friday.
Residents like Isuree Katugampala, a third-year pediatrics resident at Montefiore Medical Center, had to help with the COVID response during the pandemic due to the surge of patients and staffing shortages. "I believe doctors will find a way to unionize," John August, director of health care labor relations at Cornell School of Labor and Industrial Relations told Axios.