More than 150 frontline workers at Montefiore Medical Center, along with their allies, gathered Wednesday, Sept. 5, to demand a contract from the hospital.
The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), the largest staff union in the United States, represented the workers who claim that hospital executives have been slow to negotiate a fair deal. During the gathering, the workers called on the hospital’s leaders to come to the negotiating table and work with them to finalize a fair contract that would include better working conditions, wages and benefits.
Frontline physicians care for thousands of patients at Montefiore, the dominant healthcare system in the Bronx, a borough known for its inequities when it comes to access to health care. The workers claim that Montefiore is not investing enough resources in the Bronx given the need for quality care—making it more difficult for the medical center to serve borough residents. The workers also feel this disinvestment contradicts Montefiore’s stated values of equity and diversity.
“Monte has historically centered itself in the Bronx, and hospital representatives have publicly showcased this distinction over and over again,” said Dr. Elise Gruber, a Family Medicine resident physician at Montefiore. “Budgeting millions of dollars for TV ads and a box at Madison Square Garden. It’s time for Monte representatives to stop showing off and start showing up.”
One of the main priorities for the doctors in a new contract is to make sure it allows them to focus on providing quality care for patients in their communities without having to worry about burning out from extensive shifts. They feel healthcare should be a fundamental right for all, rather than a luxury for those able to afford it.
Montefiore said that it is working on a contract that is fair to workers and will last.
“Montefiore is deeply engaged in our current conversations with the Committee of Interns and Residents, and we are committed to creating an agreement that honors the hard work of our house officers in a manner that is sustainable going forward,” a spokesperson for Montefiore said in regard to the gathering.
