Queens doctors strike averted following midnight deal
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At last minute deal was struck between residents at Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals and MediSys, which averted a strike hours before it would have begun on Monday, May 15, 2023. Eagle Photo by Ryan Schwach
By Ryan Schwach
Resident doctors at Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals reached an eleventh hour deal with the hospital system, MediSys, late Sunday night, narrowly avoiding a strike that would have begun just seven hours later.
At around midnight on Sunday, around 300 residents at Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals, two of the largest hospitals in Queens, struck a deal with MediSys, which the doctor’s union is calling a win. The late night agreement stopped a strike that would have seen New York City physicians walk out of their hospitals for the first time in a generation.
The agreement sets an 18 percent salary increase over the next three years — the salary pattern in line with what was set following the nursing strike earlier this year. The deal also includes hazard pay, extra shift pay and six weeks paid leave. Its other “wins” include measures in line with the doctor’s core demands regarding patient loads and out of title work, the union says.
“This agreement is one that will ensure that our class and future generations of resident doctors at MediSys are protected in the event of a public health emergency, while prioritizing both the community’s health care needs and our training,” said Dr. Neha Ravi, union rep at Jamaica Hospital.
Leading up to the possible strike, Ravi maintained she never wanted to head to the picket line, and hoped a fair deal would be reached before it got to that point, she recently told the Eagle.
For the last several weeks, the residents at the two Queens hospitals had difficulty negotiating with MediSys as they demanded higher pay and better working conditions, they said.
Residents said that they were getting paid $15 to $17 an hour, and working 80-hour weeks with added responsibilities which led to lessened attention for each individual patient.
Earlier this month, doctors told the Eagle that conditions forced them to see a new patient every 15 to 20 minutes, which wore them down and led to insufficient care.
“It's been a toll on all our doctors, not just physically, but mentally obviously,” Dr. Mohammad Abbas said. “We feel that if we are fatigued, that wouldn't be fair to the patients.”
Just hours before a deal was reached, the resident physicians believed they’d be on the picket lines the following morning.
As recently as Friday night, union members told the Eagle that they were having difficulty getting MediSys to the negotiating table and that a bargaining session had been abruptly canceled.
On Friday, Ravi said they would have “no choice but to strike.”
But with the deal struck and the strike averted, residents the Eagle spoke with on Monday were happy with the outcome.
“We hope that we can continue to work with management to address the issues that are important to residents and will continue to advocate for the residents needs to be met, for the rights to be respected,” said Dr. Uchenna Chinakwe, who works at Flushing Hospital. “It doesn't exactly cover everything we would like to get, but we got the important things that we needed to get. It also moves the needle significantly from where we were before.”
“We are hoping that it will set an important precedent to help with negotiations in the future,” he added. “Overall, it does take us a few steps forward.”
A spokesperson for the union, the Committee for Interns and Residents, said that bargaining going into the wee hours of the morning was not unprecedented.
On Friday, a spokesperson from MediSys said that the hospitals had made proposals to the residents in line with other hospitals.
“The day before our last scheduled bargaining session we notified CIR that we were prepared to negotiate as long as it took to reach a settlement, but to our dismay they unexpectedly left the bargaining table at 8:00 p.m.,” they said.
After the agreement was reached, MediSys said they were also pleased with the outcome.
“As a network that has successfully graduated thousands of residents and fellows, many of whom have gone on to hold prestigious positions across the nation, we understand and value the important role they play in our organization and the future of healthcare,” a spokesperson for the hospital system said. “Reaching a resolution without a work stoppage taking place is a great step forward in our continued focus on quality patient care.”
Queens elected officials signaled their support for the agreement on Monday morning, including Rep. Grace Meng, who was scheduled to speak at the pickets until the strike was averted, Councilmember Lynn Schulman, Councilmember Sandra Ung and Borough President Donovan Richards also celebrated the deal.
The best way to thank our healthcare heroes is to pay them a fair wage and prioritize their wellness,” Richards said on Twitter. “To say that you deserve it would be a massive understatement.”
State Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos also tweeted her support for the agreement.
“Strikes are so powerful that even a credible threat is enough to bring an employer to the table,” she said.
But while the strike was averted at Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital, healthcare worker labor disputes continue in Queens.
At Elmhurst Hospital, residents and interns are currently in negotiations with their operator, NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s hospital system.
The union currently has a five-day strike set to begin on May 22. According to the union, there are only a few scheduled negotiating sessions scheduled between now and then.
“You've raised the standards for the next contract,” Ramos said of the Jamaica and Flushing Hospital agreement. “Elmhurst next.”
