Residents and fellow physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore have voted to unionize with the Maryland chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, according to union and hospital statements shared with Becker's.
Residents and fellows voted June 12 and 13 in an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board. Nearly 650 physicians showed up to vote, and initial results indicate 628 voted in favor of unionization, according to The Baltimore Sun. The newspaper noted there are about 950 residents between the UMMC's downtown and midtown campuses.
According to the union, the results represent the first unionization of residents and fellows in Maryland.
"This is an emotional day for all of us," Ari Goldstein, MD, said in an AFT news release. "We have spent countless hours over the last couple of years pouring our hearts into this effort on top of our already taxing duties as residents and fellows. To see this come to fruition is incredibly special because we know this will not only be a step forward for the current residents and fellows of the hospital but also for all those to come."
In a statement June 13, UMMC President and CEO Bert O'Malley, MD, said the hospital respects the vote "and will bargain in good faith with the union with a goal of reaching an agreement that reinforces our commitment to extraordinary patient care and preparing the next generation of physicians for exemplary careers in medicine.
"UMMC is proud of the Graduate Medical Education program we run across our two campuses and of the talented and compassionate individuals who make up our resident and fellow physicians. We will continue to make decisions that are in the best interest of their future success."
In unionizing, physicians seek better pay and working conditions and a more powerful platform to help them advocate for their patients, they said prior to the election, according to the Sun.
Physicians at UMMC join other unionized residency programs in the U.S., including those at Los Angeles-based UCLA Medical Center, Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System, and Boston University Medical Center.