Amid contract negotiations, resident physicians and fellows held a rally Feb. 21 outside Elmhurst hospital in New York City to raise awareness about their concerns regarding pay and benefits parity.
The physicians are represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local chapter of the Service Employees International Union. They work full time at Elmhurst Hospital, an NYC Health + Hospitals site, and are provided to Elmhurst Hospital in Queens by Mount Sinai Health System.
Union members said they are seeking a fair contract that includes pay and benefits parity with residents at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side, according to a CIR news release.
"Across our hospitals, the expectations for us as physicians are the same: We must give the highest-quality, compassionate care possible while ensuring that we receive the necessary training," first-year pediatrics resident Alaa Mohamed, MD, said in the release. "There's no reason why Mount Sinai physicians at one institution should be paid less because they work in a different ZIP code."
NYC Health + Hospitals referred Becker's to Mount Sinai for comment.
Mount Sinai said: "We are committed to reaching a contract agreement working with the union and partners at NYC Health and Hospital Corp."