University at Buffalo resident doctors, who started a four-day strike Tuesday, have crafted several rhyming chants on the picket line aimed at top local health care administrators and institutions.
They unveiled another strike chant Wednesday: “If you’re not crooks, show us your books.”
That was the central message of a news conference Wednesday in front of Buffalo General Medical Center: The residents’ union wants its employer, University Medical Resident Services, to open up its books to show the flow of government funds to the training hospitals that are earmarked for residency training programs.
Dr. Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represents more than 800 UB resident doctors and fellows, claimed UMRS has not been transparent about its financial accounting at the bargaining table. Bussey said the union has sought detailed financials as it strives to understand why UB residents are paid less in salary and benefits than those in other residency programs.