NYC Doctors Reach a Tentative Agreement, Avoiding 5-Day ULP Strike

New York, NY: Averting what would have been the second physician’s strike in New York City, and the 8th healthcare worker strike in the country this year, Morningside and West resident physicians announced on Monday, June 12 at 11:00pm that they have reached a tentative agreement with their employer Mount Sinai after 6 months of bargaining. Represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIRSEIU), residents say they are relieved and looking forward to providing care to their patients.

The 5-day ULP strike set to take place on Tuesday, June 13, would have been the second strike by Mount Sinai resident doctors within a month’s time. Elmhurst residents, who ended their strike on May 24 after a 3-day strike, were the first resident physicians to strike in New York City in 33 years. The strikes would have come on the heels of a historic win at arbitration for Mount Sinai Nurses, where an arbitrator held their employer liable for a $127,000 penalty after they proved a persistent pattern of understaffing.

“This fight was about demanding that Mount Sinai treat us equitably. The Elmhurst residents who went on strike two weeks ago were fighting for the same things that we are–parity across Mount Sinai residency programs. There’s no reason why doctors doing the same job should be paid differently,” said Dr. Aliza Grossberg, psychiatry. “We’re thrilled to have avoided this strike, because we want nothing more than to care for our patients. We are inspired by the nurses and our fellow residents across the city and country for standing up and fighting for what’s right for healthcare providers.”

“Our frontline workers are the backbone of our communities, and we cannot afford to shortchange their essential work,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “I congratulate the healthcare workers at CIRSEIU on reaching an agreement with Mt. Sinai for an equitable contract that equally values union and non-union healthcare workers.”

The tentative agreement includes 7% salary increases retro to March, 6% in 2024, and 5% guaranteed in March 2025. The doctors will see a bonus of $2000 and won increases in meal money, education stipends, and more. The new contract also includes Juneteenth as a paid holiday and six weeks of protected ACGME leave during residency. The agreement preserves backpay for the graduating residents who served in the hospital during the Covid pandemic. While residents did not win full parity with their non-union colleagues, they’ve come closer than they have in previous contracts, and won their largest salary and benefits increases, including winning access to Bright Horizons and Flex Spending benefits in January of 2024. p

The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest house staff union in the United States. A local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing over 30,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities.

Unions Fight/

continued from page 12

“The POWER Act prevents immigration enforcement from being used as a tool to crush worker organizing and protects the brave folks who take a stand to help enforce the labor laws our movement fought so hard to win.”

In many ways, the construction trade unions have been slow when it comes to embracing undocumented workers into their ranks. Historically, the City’s trade unions were exclusive clubs reserved for only white workers. When it came to undocumented labor, the attitude was outright hostile, with some unions reporting undocumented workers to ICE.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the AFL-CIO advocated for stronger immigration enforcement, seeing undocumented workers, with the low wages they are often paid as a threat to organized labor’s ability to demand higher wages.

By the turn of the century, national labor unions had a change of heart and began embracing undocumented workers. In New York, over the past two decades, the trades have increasingly diversified, with minorities now making up the majority of union construction rank and file at 55.1 percent. Still, with many unions requiring proof of work authorization and other documentation, undocumented workers have not made the same progress with the trades even though the construction industry has grown increasingly dependent on their labor. p

Amir Khafaji is an award-winning New York City-based journalist. He is currently a report for America Corps member with documented. Much of Amir’s beat explores the intersections of labor, race, class, and immigration. Reprinted with permission.