When University at Buffalo resident doctors and fellows formed a union in early 2023, Dr. Eun Beattie recalls that many of them “started out pretty scared” of speaking out against long-established training programs with grueling schedules that many physicians have likened to a hazing, pay-your-dues-like atmosphere.
The residents aren’t scared anymore.
Beattie and her colleagues went on strike Tuesday morning in what will be a four-day work stoppage as the residents and fellows continue to fight for a first contract with University Medical Resident Services, the employer of more than 800 residents and fellows in UB programs. The residents, represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, work at hospitals and medical clinics across Western New York, meaning this high-stakes strike has the potential to disrupt certain health care services and operations through Friday.