BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Nearly 830 resident physicians at the University at Buffalo walked off the job Tuesday and plan on striking for four days.
They're demanding better compensation, benefits, and working conditions.
Earlier this year, billboards on the 190 in Buffalo claimed that UB resident physicians are "Overworked. Underpaid. Exploited."
The billboards were put up by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. You can watch our previous report below.
I spoke with some of them striking outside Buffalo General Medical Center.
"I got cancer last year. I came to Buffalo not knowing that I was going to be sick and I came here to serve the people of Buffalo. I didn't know that I was going to have to do that while being on chemotherapy," Amanda Duggan explained.
Duggan said she continued to work long hours and didn't get the support she needed from her employer.
"Even just taking an afternoon off to go see my Oncologist turned out to be a very big deal," said Duggan.
Another big deal: pay.
"I do feel that they're looking at us as cheap labor. Resident doctors work up to 80 hours a week and our salaries are the lowest in the region," Duggan said.
"Right now during union negotiations, we've had some intimidation tactics by some of the attendings," said Mattie Rossi-Schumacher, a fifth-year resident physician.
Rossi-Schumaker said residents working overnight often don't get meals.
"We're being denied to areas where other physicians are getting in where there's food in the lounges overnight, computer access," said Rossi-Schumacher.
"Don't have the same salary. It's significantly lower. They don't have health benefits. They don't have retirement benefits. They don't have meal benefits. They don't have training stipends," said Stuart Bussey, the President of The Union of American Physicians and Dentists.
Bussey also said the decades-old culture needs to change.
"It might be a kind of fraternity thing to do...to say work your butt off... but several people can't handle this kind of stress. I think people have progressed to the idea that when you put this much effort and you bill as much and make hundreds of millions of dollars for this university you should be appreciated and not hazed," he said
The resident physicians said they don't want to have to strike, but it's necessary.
"We want to be in there taking care of our patients and doing the job that we are here to do but the fact of the matter is we're not being treated fairly," said Duggan.
Below are statements from UMRS and UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine provided to 7 News:
“Over the past 12 months of collective bargaining, UMRS has received the support of UB and the stakeholders in the WNY medical community in an attempt to reach an agreement with UAPD.
Despite UMRS' best efforts to reach agreement – including providing the union (UAPD) with a salary proposal that is virtually the same as the union’s proposal – the union has decided to move forward with the strike. This disappointing news from the union comes after a September 1 bargaining session in which the union made a last-minute demand, little more than 24 hours prior to the strike, for an additional $15 million in salary increases over three years. It is pretty apparent that, by doing this, the union is not interested in settling this contract negotiation any time soon.
Their counterproposal is not fiscally responsible for UMRS or the hospital training sites. It also fails to consider the critical role our local hospitals play in serving patients in our community.
Additionally, it does not fully consider the tremendous value of the educational and training benefits provided to the residents by our hospitals and UB’s Office of Graduate Medical Education, which ensure residents and trainees develop the foundational clinical skills and knowledge required to successfully practice independently.
While we are disappointed with the union's recent actions that prevented an agreement to avert a strike, UMRS will continue to bargain in good faith with the hope that an agreement will soon be reached.”
“The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is disappointed that an agreement was not reached that would have avoided a strike by the medical residents and fellows.
However, we are encouraged that an offer has been made from the residents' employer (University Medical Resident Services, P.C.) to provide the residents with a salary on par with their peers at upstate hospitals. As negotiations continue, we remain committed to supporting residents and providing them with the outstanding educational opportunities, training and experiences they need to become highly skilled physicians within the health care community.”
