Resident Unions Part 2: Getting Organized

Resident Unions Part 2: Getting Organized

Oct. 21, 2022

Unions have a long and storied history in the United States – but not within the house of medicine. Yet as the practice of medicine has become enveloped by business interests, unionization is taking root. More than 22,000 resident physicians are already union members. Where do you start if you want to organize? EMRA*Cast host Matt Dillon, MD, (@mdmd_8889) presents part 2 of this series.

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Host

Matt Dillon, MD

ChristianaCare EM/IM, PGY-4
Twitter: @mdmd_8889
EMRA*Cast Episodes

Guest

Monica Sheridan, MD

Stanford Emergency Medicine Residency
Class of 2025

Unions have a long and storied history in the United States – but not within the house of medicine. Yet as the practice of medicine has become enveloped by business interests, unionization is taking root. More than 22,000 resident physicians belong to unions as of 2022. Where do you start if you want to organize? Part 2 of this series dives into those details.


Overview
EMRA*Cast host Matt Dillon, MD, (@mdmd_8889) follows up on the unionization process with Stanford resident Monica Sheridan, MD. During Part 1 of this series, Dr. Dillon covered the various reasons why resident unionization could be beneficial for residents. Today, he speaks with Dr. Sheridan about the finer details of how residents might initiate the unionization process.

Take-Home Points

  • The process of unionization is relatively straightforward. It begins with a petition of the residents and is followed by a formal election. In order to move forward with unionization, a simple majority is required.
  • Don’t go it alone! If you are considering unionization, reach out to the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR).
  • More than 22,000 residents are unionized nationwide. It’s more common than you might think.
  • Residents are valuable yet vulnerable. They often have little say over the terms of their contract, but they provide meaningful labor to their hospitals.
  • Unions provide residents with the ability to pursue collective bargaining, which is the negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees.

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