The 829 residents and fellows at the University at Buffalo, represented by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), have been in talks for more than a year to settle on a contract.
They say they’re earning less than minimum wage given their typical 80-hour work weeks, and that they’re the lowest-paid trainees in their region. They also claim to be the only program without retirement benefits, without a training stipend, and have the worst healthcare policy in the region.
UAPD President Stuart Bussey, MD, JD, was in Buffalo on Tuesday and told MedPage Today in a phone interview that “hundreds” of residents walked out and plan to continue to do so through Friday.
“We had a reasonable solution on the table and they didn’t answer,” Bussey said of University Medical Resident Services (UMRS), the group that employs the residents and fellows. “These residents are the horses that make this place run, and they’re not feeding them enough.”