For Immediate Release: May 11, 2020
Press Contact: Eve Feldberg | E: efeldberg@cirseiu.org | M: 646-763-0449
Resident Physicians at NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Demand that Brooklyn Doctors be Paid the Same as Manhattan Doctors
New York - The 300 resident physicians represented by SEIU-CIR are demanding access to patient care funds previously promised for the purchase of life-saving equipment and pay equity with their Manhattan counterparts at NY Presbyterian, the highest paid residency program in the city. Since its affiliation in 2016-17, NY Methodist (former name) has been able to enhance access to healthcare and give Brooklyn patients the ability to connect with some of the best clinicians in the world, according to NY Presbyterian. But residents say that while access may have been enhanced, their working conditions, including their salaries, fall way short of what doctors in Manhattan are being paid. Over the past 3 years, they’ve fallen further and further behind other NYC hospitals in pay.
“We are so proud to be on the front lines of this crisis, to be there for our patients and for the community, and we stand in solidarity with all essential workers, who are doing the same. But it is deeply disheartening to know that we are not being paid equitably, especially at a time like this,” said Dr. Bryan Doherty, a CIR Delegate. In response to the hospital’s continued stalling, residents have organized a 20-minute unity break to take place outside of the hospital on May Day.
The unionized residents have been in negotiations with NY Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist since before COVID-19 hit the city hard. NY Presbyterian had been stalling negotiations for months and had even refused to meet virtually at physicians’ requests for the past two months. The hospital’s inaction has also affected patient care. Residents have had a long-standing agreement with Methodist that allowed them access to funds for essential equipment for patients. Before 2017, they were able to submit requests for urgent equipment and had been promised that after the affiliation they would still have access to those critical funds. But as of today, not one single purchase has been made on behalf of the frontline providers.
Who: SEIU/CIR Committee of Interns and Residents, Brad Lander, New York City Council Member
When: Monday, May 11, 7PM – 7:20PM
Where: Outside New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, at the corner of 7th Avenue and 6th Street
Logistics: CIR physicians remain committed to protecting public health and will be enforcing social distancing during the unity break. Each physician will stand 6 feet across from each at both 6th street and 7th avenue and 7th street and 8th avenue.
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The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest housestaff union in the United States, a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing over 17,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care and expanding healthcare access for our communities.
