The union that represents medical residents and fellows at Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the health system had cut department-specific stipends in retaliation for unionization efforts, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Federal labor law prohibits employers with unionized workers from making changes in wages, hours, working conditions, or other mandatory subjects of bargaining before bargaining with the union to agreement or overall impasse, "unless the union prevents the parties from reaching agreement or impasse; economic exigencies compel prompt action; or the proposed change concerns a discrete, recurring event scheduled to recur in the midst of bargaining (such as an annual merit-wage review), and you give the union notice and opportunity to bargain over that matter."
In its complaint, filed Sept. 15, the union alleges that Mass General Brigham had cut department-specific stipends that generally cover electronics, board certification fees, licenses, and other professional development costs, according to The Harvard Crimson. Medical residents and fellows voted in June to join the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local of the Service Employees International Union. However, the parties have not negotiated their first labor contract.
The union contends it did not receive proper prior notice about the benefit cuts, according to The Harvard Crimson.
"The message that was communicated to residents through program directors was that MGB was reviewing all the department benefits in light of the unionization," Diego Lopez, MD, a newly elected bargaining committee member, said, according to the newspaper. "Basically, everything was kind of up in the air at the moment about which benefits we'll still have and which ones we're going to lose."
In a statement shared with Becker's, Mass General Brigham said changes to trainee benefits, which included a $10,000 stipend for residents and clinical fellows, were announced in March before the unionization vote.
"Across our health system, all stipend recipients saw an increase at the beginning of the academic/programmatic year, and we disagree with the assertion that benefits have been cut," the statement reads. "We look forward to continuing our dialogue with union representatives as we work toward a mutually beneficial labor agreement."