UB resident physicians strike for better pay, better benefits

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Hundreds of resident physicians hit the picket line outside Buffalo General Hospital fighting for higher wages, better benefits and better working conditions. An agreement to get resident physicians back to work still has not been reached.

Resident physicians at Buffalo General walked off the job at midnight Tuesday to join more than 800 resident physicians and fellows. The strike is affecting every hospital in the Buffalo area. Tuesday’s strike is expected to go to 8 p.m.

University at Buffalo resident physicians are conducting a four-day strike. The plan is for them to be at Buffalo General through Friday, unless a deal is reached.

Many resident physicians are in their 20s and 30s. They’re trying to raise families and they said the low pay they get and the long hours they work make it impossible for them to make a living wage.

“We don’t want to strike, but here we are and what we’re asking for is very basic, we are asking for us to have living wages in the region, average of competitive programs in the region,” said Amy Beattie, a psychiatrist.

They formed a union over a year ago and have been in negotiations with their employer, University Medical Resident Services (UMRS). Both sides have accused the other of being disingenuous in the contract negotiations.

“We’ve had enough waiting, so this is frustration you’re seeing behind it, now also it’s resolution because our union is resolute here, we don’t like exploiting doctors, which sounds like, ‘Well, they make a lot of money,’ these guys don’t, they’re making less than minimum wage,” said Stuart Bussey, the president of Union of American Physicians and Dentists.

UMRS said in a statement that they have sent a salary proposal that is essentially the same as the union’s proposal and that on Sunday, the union made a request of $15 million in salary increases over three years, which the hospitals is not financially responsible.

As the strike plays out, it’s unknown as to how this will affect patient care, if at all. Picketing is expected not only outside Buffalo General, but also outside Roswell Park and Oishei Children’s Hospital later in the week.

Read the full statement from UMRS regarding the strike below:

“Over the past 12 months of collective bargaining, UMRS has received the support of UB and the stakeholders in the WNY medical community in an attempt to reach an agreement with UAPD.

Despite UMRS’ best efforts to reach agreement – including providing the union (UAPD) with a salary proposal that is virtually the same as the union’s proposal – the union has decided to move forward with the strike. 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. It is pretty apparent that, by doing this, the union is not interested in settling this contract negotiation any time soon.

Their counterproposal is not fiscally responsible for UMRS or the hospital training sites. It also fails to consider the critical role our local hospitals play in serving patients in our community.

Additionally, it does not fully consider the tremendous value of the educational and training benefits provided to the residents by our hospitals and UB’s Office of Graduate Medical Education, which ensure residents and trainees develop the foundational clinical skills and knowledge required to successfully practice independently.

While we are disappointed with the union’s recent actions that prevented an agreement to avert a strike, UMRS will continue to bargain in good faith with the hope that an agreement will soon be reached.”

Read the full statement from UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences regarding the decision of medical residents and fellows to strike below:

“The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is disappointed that an agreement was not reached that would have avoided a strike by the medical residents and fellows.

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. As negotiations continue, we remain committed to supporting residents and providing them with the outstanding educational opportunities, training and experiences they need to become highly skilled physicians within the health care community.”

UB resident physicians provided an update on their strike at Wednesday. Watch the full press conference in the video player below.

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