The labor action by medical residents in Buffalo is the latest in the medical worker unionization wave sweeping the US.
Around 100 picketers stood in front of Buffalo General Hospital on September 4, chanting and talking to reporters under the midday sun. They gripped signs with slogans like “Fair Contract Now” and “United For Our Patients.” Cars honked in support as they passed by, with some drivers thrusting fists into the warm air through their open windows.
It was the second day of a four-day strike by University at Buffalo (UB) medical residents over pay, benefits and working conditions. The strike was authorized by a resounding 93 percent vote after more than a year of bargaining attempts.
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“The house staff are the linchpins of this health care system,” said Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), at the September 4 press conference. “They serve the community with blood, sweat and tears, and yet they receive monetary scraps.”