Meet a CIR Leader: New Member Dr. Laura Schwartz

February 13, 2025

A fourth-year internal medicine-pediatrics resident at Rhode Island Hospital-Brown University Health, Dr. Laura Schwartz was on the Brown Residents United organizing committee from the beginning. She shared some of her thoughts about the group’s incredible union victories at Rhode Island, Kent, Butler, and Women and Infants hospitals.

How did you feel once the ballots were counted and you knew that you won?

I was watching on Zoom from home, and the first thing I did was call some of my co-organizing committee members so we could cheer together. Proud, relieved, overjoyed—it was a really emotional moment. A group of us got together to celebrate later that night, and it just felt like this amazing collective excitement and accomplishment. We also heard from some of our co-residents who had worked on the OC in the past and graduated, who reached out to say how proud they were. It was really special.

Why did you first get involved in organizing for a union?

I was interested in residency unions starting in medical school. A lot of my medical school extracurriculars were centered around DEI, health equity, access to care, and there’s a lot of overlap between those spaces, given the connection between resident unions and equitable care. When I was interviewing for residency, I had a column in my program spreadsheet for whether or not each program was unionized.

Ultimately there were enough other aspects of the program that drew me to Brown that I ranked them highly despite the lack of a union. But I came in already thinking about how to change that; being a rabble rouser runs in my family. So when I got a text from a co-resident in the fall of intern year inviting me to a meeting to discuss unionizing, I was all in.

So many of the decisions on what our day to day lives look like, and how we take care of our patients, are made by people incredibly far removed from what residents need, as well as what patients need. I wanted to help take that decision-making power back.

What has surprised you throughout this process?

A few things. I didn’t expect the process to be quite so complicated. But our CIR team helped us to navigate every step, so we could focus on building connections and representation across departments, rather than needing an honorary degree in labor law. I also didn’t foresee how working together would help me make friends with people in specialties I otherwise rarely saw at the hospital. It sounds ridiculously trite, but it’s true—my favorite part was the friends I made along the way.

What are your next steps and what’s your greatest dream for CIR in Rhode Island?

I’m graduating in June, so as we move into the contract negotiation phase, my plan is to graciously step back so that residents who will actually be here working under our first contract are prioritized for seats at the negotiating table. But I’m hoping to remain a department rep for MedPeds until I graduate at the end of June, so I can still help out.

As for my greatest dream for CIR in RI… I’ve already achieved it. I wanted Brown to be unionized by the time I graduated, and we are. How’s that for a legacy?

So many of us poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this, and I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished. (Though if I can include some secondary dreams: pay parity for housestaff across all Brown programs and hospitals; access to the same benefits as other hospital employees, such as 401k matching and student loan assistance; improved educational stipends that actually make a dent in our boards-related expenses… All of those would be pretty great, too.)

Understanding S.P.I.T.

What are the benefits of forming a union?

When we come together as housestaff, we have a unified voice for safe working conditions and better patient outcomes. This pandemic has demonstrated that having workplace representation is urgent and necessary. Thousands of residents across the country have organized union chapters and have won historic improvements for housestaff and patients through collective bargaining agreements.

What’s legal? What’s not?

The laws vary from state to state as well as the type of employer you are paid by – private or public.Generally, however, most laws give employees the right to act together to try and improve their working conditions, with or without a union.It is illegal for employees to be fired, suspended, or otherwise penalized for taking part in protected group activity.

Generally, it is illegal for employers to S.P.I.T.:

(Document any activity that may look like this)

Surveil

Administration and department leadership may not conduct unlawful surveillance of employees’ union activity. Identifying, tracking and surveillance of employee discussions about the union or union meetings is illegal.

Examples:

Supervisors cannot inquire about what goes on at union meetings, ask which employees attend the meeting, or even give the impression of such surveillance.

Promise

Administration and department leadership must not directly or indirectly promise any benefits or reward employees for refusing to sign a union card, or for voting against your union. They may not promise a wage increase or give preferential treatment in exchange for refraining from union activity. Encouraging employees to withdraw or repudiate union authorization cards is also unlawful. They may not solicit grievances about working conditions while expressly or impliedly promising corrections if residents do not form a union.

Examples:

“I can get you a job here or give you a good recommendation letter if you don’t get involved.”

Reminder: There is nothing holding management accountable to any promises they make and they do not have to follow through.

Interrogate

Administration and department leadership should not interrogate, or ask, any employee whether or not he or she favors the union, has signed a union card, or has gone to a union meeting.

You can always say you’re not comfortable answering their questions. Remember to ask whether they’ve talked to others, whether they know if they’re allowed to ask, and if they have concerns about residents forming a union and what they are.

Questions they may ask:

Have you heard of a union being formed? Are you involved? Have you been asked to sign a card? Do any of your colleagues have interest in forming a union? Who have you heard union talk from? Do you think you’ll join?

Threaten

Administration and program leadership must not threaten employees with harm or reprisals (economic or otherwise) if they decide to get involved with the union or sign a union card.

Examples:

Administration may not threaten to take away residency spots or current department benefits if the residents decide to form or join a union.

What can we do to protect ourselves?

Despite being generally protected, it is always a good idea to be extra careful:

Remember to be discrete and never seek advice or reveal to management/administration that you are considering unionizing
Refrain from using hospital property – both physical (printers, computers, phones) – and intellectual (email, paging/messaging systems) – in communicating regarding union matters
Be mindful of where and when you discuss unionization with your colleagues – being overheard talking about unions in the hospital “on company time” can be considered “solicitation,” so exercise caution and discretion
As long as you are using personal means of communication such as personal phones, emails, and only talking to other interns, residents, or fellows, the hospital cannot discipline you

Reminder: Forming a union is 100% our legal right and our vote is anonymous.

Meet a CIR Leader: New Member Dr. Laura Schwartz

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