UB resident physicians begin strike

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Hundreds of resident physicians affiliated with the University at Buffalo are expected to walk out of their respective hospitals at midnight Tuesday and go on strike for the next four days.

The strike from UB resident physicians is expected to start at midnight at Buffalo General with doctors walking off the job. Picketing is expected daily through Friday with picketing also happening outside Roswell Park and Oishei Children’s Hospital. All hospitals in the Buffalo area would be impacted by the strike.

Resident physicians at UB used Labor Day to build momentum, as they’re getting set to walk off the job at midnight, in their pursuit of better pay and benefits.

“These 830 resident doctors throughout Western New York are in their mid 20s to early 30s trying to raise families, they’re working 80 hours a week often and they’re earning what is equivalent of minimum wage trying to raise that family,” said Robert Boreanaz, lead negotiator for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD).

Resident physicians also said they endured bullying, filthy working conditions and have had to work with no lunch breaks.

Boreanaz said bargaining talks have been going on for over a year with no resolution and that they’re fighting for a fair deal, being the lowest paid resident physicians in the state.

“They’ve got reduced health care benefits, they don’t have any retirement benefits, they don’t have any education stipends, they don’t have any hazard pay when they work during snow storms,” Boreanaz said.

The resident physicians work for University Medical Resident Services (UMRS), working directly with patients and supervising doctors.

“I’m sure plans have been made to cancel elective surgery and go down to a bare minimum emergency situation in the hospitals, I’m sure procedures will be delayed,” Boreanaz said.

UMRS said in a statement that they provided UAPD with a salary proposal that is “virtually the same” as the union’s proposal.

“This disappointing news from the union comes after a September 1 bargaining session in which the union made a last-minute demand, little more than 24 hours prior to the strike, for an additional $15 million in salary increases over three years,” UMRS said in the statement. “It is pretty apparent that, by doing this, the union is not interested in settling this contract negotiation any time soon.”

UMRS said the agency provided medical residents with a proposal in good faith and that they’re hopeful to reach an agreement.

In a statement, UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences said it’s “disappointed” that an agreement wasn’t reached. The school also said it will continue to support residents and provide them with education and training.

“However, we are encouraged that an offer has been made from the residents’ employer (University Medical Resident Services, P.C.) to provide the residents with a salary on par with their peers at upstate hospitals,” the statement said.

As resident physicians strike, they will not be paid. The union says their next formal bargaining session is a week from Monday. The strike could be extended if no deal is reached.

Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here .