FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2021
Press Contact: Tricia Piper-Bennett
E: patricia@telegraphpr.com
P: (415) 914-5511
UC Riverside Resident Physicians Vote Overwhelmingly to Form Union
Interns, Resident and Fellow Physicians vote to join 18,000 CIR/SEIU members nationwide for excellent patient care
Riverside – On Friday, the Interns, Resident and Fellow physicians at UC Riverside (UCR) filed union authorization cards with the California Public Employment Relations Board, after an overwhelming majority voted to join the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU (CIR/SEIU). Over the next few weeks, the labor board will be processing the petition to certify the union.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have filed for unionization and can now have a seat at the table to advocate for ourselves and our patients,” said Dr. Poole, 3rd-year Psychiatry Resident physician. “The pandemic augmented the issues we were already struggling with and it became clear that we needed the agency to meaningfully participate in decisions that affect our training and patient care. Hopefully, we can work with our administration to create protections for the well-being of Resident physicians so that we can offer the best care possible.”
The Resident physicians at UC Riverside are amongst the last two non-union UC Resident physicians. During the pandemic, they saw their colleagues in union-represented programs win basic protections for both Resident physician and patient wellness. A pay freeze amidst surging fuel and housing costs accentuated their need to have a greater say in their workplace conditions.
Now, following a months-long Resident-led organizing effort, the UC Riverside Resident physicians have voted, with an overwhelming majority, to unionize with CIR/SEIU. The organizing efforts further demonstrate the rising trend of Interns, Resident and Fellow physician unionization in California and more broadly nationwide.
“I feel excited that we, at UCR, are joining an amazing community of union-represented Resident physicians at other University of California sites. It’s great to feel like we are all part of the same UC system. I am confident that by unionizing we will be able to advocate and address issues affecting our daily lives,” said Dr. Glass, 3rd-year Family Medicine Resident physician.
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 18,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities.
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