UB medical residents and fellows continue union efforts with confidence they have “supermajority” vote

Ballots have been sent to eligible employees and will be counted on May 11

Almost two months after filing for a unionization vote, pro-union medical residents and fellows — speaking to The Spectrum for the first time — say they are “very confident” that a “supermajority” of their colleagues at UB-affiliated medical facilities are in favor of unionizing.

Dozens of frontline workers gathered last Friday to voice support for the unionization effort and share stories of how patient care is suffering at UB-affiliated hospitals.

Ballots were sent to eligible employees on March 1, according to organizers’ website. Votes will be counted on May 11 at Buffalo’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office.

If approved, the union would cover all 810 UB-affiliated medical residents, fellows and interns under the Union of American Physicians & Dentists (UAPD). UAPD is a Sacramento, California-based union that represents doctors and other healthcare workers across the country.

“The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB is committed to providing outstanding educational opportunities for our residents and fellows. These physicians inspire us every day with their dedication, compassion and clinical skills,” the Jacobs School of Medicine said in a statement to The Spectrum. “At all times, the graduate medical education programs at UB strive to optimize the outcomes for our patients, their families and our communities, at the same time working to enhance the clinical learning environment for the benefit of our residents and fellows.”

Dr. Armin Taddayon, a second-year anesthesiology resident who’s helped with the unionization effort, said that “higher wages” are a top priority for the wouldbe union. He added that any negotiations would be based on a “collective agreement of what’s important” to members.

Pro-union residents and fellows said on their website they make less than their colleagues at other Western New York universities. Fellows and residents at the University of Rochester, for instance, get a limited tuition waiver, retirement benefits, housing stipends and childcare benefits in addition to higher wages.

The Jacobs School says that organizers’ data doesn’t “reflect the vastly different benefit packages offered at the different upstate institutions.” UB, for example, pays for residents and fellows’ medical and dental insurance in full, while the University of Rochester simply subsidizes their employees’ policies.

“One thing that University of Buffalo