New York Downtown Docs Win Raises, Rent Protections

After more than four years with no raises, resident physicians at New York Downtown Hospital ratified a contract that guarantees them rent protection, bonuses and raises, among other gains, on May 19, 2010.

The 64 internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology residents at New York Downtown affiliated with CIR in April 2009, after their independent housestaff association had struggled and failed to get administration’s attention on negotiating a new contract. Organizing committee members were motivated by uncompetitive salaries, a punitive policy on sick days, and a sense that they had no voice at their workplace. After 10 months of negotiations, the CIR leaders felt that they had a contract that adequately addressed those issues.

“All the housestaff felt it was a strong contract with a lot of protection for both current residents and also incoming residents,” said Dr. Peter Wong, a member of the negotiating committee.

The new contract provides bonuses for all current residents, additional bonuses in January 2011 and 2013, and 2 percent salary increases in 2011 and 2012. The hospital also agreed to major rent protection for the residents’ low-cost housing next to the hospital. Additional gains include covering transportation costs for away rotations, providing meals, reimbursement of board review courses and exams, and a grievance procedure to enable CIR to enforce the contract. In December, the residents worked with the nurses at the hospital to deliver a basket full of holiday cards with personal messages to the CEO, asking him for a fair contract. “There were good times and bad times, like with anything,” said Dr. Wong. “The good thing was it allowed us to come together as a group and to be one voice, and stand up for what we really believed was important.”

In the end, Dr. Wong and his colleagues found that the time they dedicated paid off when they voted on their first CIR contract. “It marked a moment in the residency at New York Downtown Hospital,” Dr. Wong said, “Now we’re affiliated with CIR, and we’re actually able to implement some change, which was not there before. So we’re proud of that moment.”