Resident physicians and fellows at Dignity Health's St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco will protest June 1 amid contract negotiations.
The physicians are represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local of the Service Employees International Union. They are working under a contract that expired in March.
Now physicians at St. Mary's will hold a "unity break" protest "to advocate for a new contract that meets their needs and allows them to continue providing quality patient care without exacerbated risk of burnout or housing instability," the union said in a May 31 news release shared with Becker's.
The union also contends the workers are not being adequately paid to keep up with the cost of living in the San Francisco area.
In a statement shared with Becker's, Dignity Health said: "St. Mary's Medical Center has a long history of providing graduate medical education in the community and we value the physician residents and interns, and view the partnership as a critical part of our mission to train the next generation of healthcare leaders."
The health system also said the hospital has been bargaining in good faith and will continue doing so.
"The hospital remains committed and hopeful that these negotiations can be brought to an amicable close in the near future. Hospital operations are not impacted," Dignity Health added.
The event June 1 will be a 20-minute coordinated break and protest for the unionized residents at St. Mary's.
The Committee of Interns and Residents represents more than 22,000 resident physicians and fellows in the U.S. Dignity Health is part of Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health.