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Overworked Resident Physicians Express Frustration with System Leadership

Westchester, NY—In contract negotiations with Westchester Medical Center (WMC) since January, about 90 physicians at the Hudson Valley’s only level-1 trauma center came out on Tuesday to voice their frustrations with hospital leadership.

Unionized with the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), leaders among the about 480 WMC residents say that their level of work and financial stress is unsustainable, and that this threatens the system’s ability to keep attracting the best doctors.

“Patients want their doctors focused on their care, not burdened with these other concerns,” said Dr. Garrett Smith. “We did not become physicians to talk about contracts, but for us to be the best residents we can be, we can’t ignore this situation anymore.”

In a “unity break” action around 12pm on Tuesday, the young physicians noted the ever-climbing cost of living in Westchester, their reliance in some cases on subsidized housing, and their difficulty affording basics like groceries and child care.

They say WMC leadership has failed to propose wage increases that even meet inflation, while rejecting proposals for housing stipends and adequate travel reimbursement for physicians who rotate to other sites in the course of their training.

Low pay has led some physicians to take on second jobs.

WMC residents continue to appeal to new CEO Dr. David Lubarsky, who previously led the medical center at the University of California-Davis, to do the right thing and agree to wages on par with the physicians’ peers at other hospitals in the area. Their next bargaining session with WMC is Thursday, May 15.

“From our perspective, this should be an easy call for management: If similar hospitals in the area can offer competitive contracts for their residents, then so can WMC,” said Dr. Smith. “We aren’t asking for their executive level salaries, we’re just asking for the support we need to provide the best care we can for our community.”

The doctors were joined at their rally by WMC-NYSNA chapter president Merima Lynch and a number of elected officials, including County Legislators Judah Holstein, Emiljana Ulaj, Jewel Williams Johnson, David J.Tubiolo, and James M. Nolan, and Christine Fils-Aimé, the director of constituent services and community affairs for State Senator Shelley Mayer.

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 40,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities.