From securing new fathers up to two months of paternity leave to significant salary increases, guaranteeing wellness days in the employment contract and expanding FMLA, residents have bargained and won strong contracts across our regions.

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
April 2017, Queens, NY
The residents at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, New York, are celebrating their freshly ratified contract covering them retroactively from November 1, 2016, through the end of October 2019. The new contract includes:

• Significant salary increases – 3 percent each year for 2016, 2017, and 2018.
• Increases to their Medical Education Benefit, bringing their total reimbursement to $1,000 per academic year.
• In addition to economic increases, the new contract also lays out a plan to ensure that residents are included in Disciplinary Appeal Ad-Hoc Committees, allowing for a greater voice by the housestaff in the hospital.

Methodist Hospital
April 2017, Brooklyn, NY
Congratulations to the leaders and members at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn who have come to an agreement with the hospital on their new contract, capping off a tough round of negotiations. The settlement includes a $3,100 bonus payable after ratification, a 2 percent salary increase on November 1, 2017, and another 2 percent on November 1, 2018.  The new contract will also bring the following bonuses and increases:

• $750 holiday bonus for incoming interns and fellows payable in December 2017
• $400 increase in meal money
• Ability to roll over unused money from their $75,000 Patient Care Fund

Great work by an activated membership who fought off an original offer of ZERO increases and many giveback demands by the hospital.

Jamaica Hospital & Flushing Hospital
March 2017, Queens, NY
Residents at Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital, both in Queens, NY, and both within the Medisys Hospital System, have won big in their new contract, which was settled in March. Residents at both hospitals will receive salary increases worth 2 percent on March 1, 2017, and 2 percent on March 1, 2018, with a wage re-opener in May 2019. The new contract also brings increases to their Medical Education Allowance – an increase from $8,000 to $12,000 per year for their Patient Care Fund, and an increase in their yearly meal allowance from $1,025 to $1,250.

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
April 2017, Brooklyn, NY
Wyckoff residents will receive salary increases of 2 percent this year, 2 percent in 2018, and 2.5 percent in 2019. The housestaff also came away from their recent contract negotiations with victories in several non-economic areas, including a new, fairer discipline policy where residents are allowed to sit on the committee, and additional access to medical software for resident education.

University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Starting July 1, all residents will receive half a wellness day each quarter that they can use as needed, and unused days will roll over. UNM CIR members are conducting a bargaining survey and preparing for their next round of contract negotiations.