New Contract Secures a Significant Pay Raise
NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health care system in the country, that runs 11 public hospitals, has come to a preliminary contract agreement with the city’s public hospitals’ doctors’ union. This agreement, as declared by Mayor’s office on Saturday, will effectively boost the salaries of around 2,300 interns and residents. It symbolizes a promising beginning in addressing the demands of medical professionals who were at the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details of the Tentative Deal
The proposed agreement promises compounded pay increases exceeding 16% over the tenure of the five-and-a-half-year contract for doctors working at various public hospitals, including Bellevue, Metropolitan, Woodhull, among others. Regardless of their hiring date, residents are set to receive lump-sum payments ranging from $4,000 to $6,000. Additionally, early adjustments will be made in salary steps, aiming to make recruitment and retention of staff more plausible.
According to Mayor Adams, “Our hospital workers were on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking their lives to save ours. The least they deserve is a fair wage for their work.” Reflecting this sentiment, the initial annual salary for residents will surge to over $81,000, marking a considerable leap from the existing starting level of approximately $66,000 by December 2025.
A Win-Win Situation
Renee Campion, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations, termed the contract as an advantageous situation for all parties involved. She emphasized, “It provides significant salary and benefit increases to our residents. It will also help NYC Health + Hospitals remain competitive in recruiting and retaining quality residents, and it is fiscally responsible and fair to the taxpayers of our city.”
From Negotiation to Ratification
The next step for this tentative contract involves ratification by the members of the Committee of Interns and Residents, a Service Employees International Union’s local. The proposal marks an ending to more than nine months of strenuous negotiations between the union and NYC Health + Hospitals.
Dr. Salma Sadaf, a pediatrics resident at Kings County and member of the bargaining committee, expressed her satisfaction with the development. “It is our collective power that pushed the mayor to finally do the right thing,” she said. She further stressed that the deal was not just about increased wages, but also about respect, acknowledgment of their contributions, and ensuring doctors could continue patient care minus the financial stress.
The deal is applicable retrospectively to December 2021 and is valid until June 2027.
Towards a Brighter Future
A massive stride has been taken towards ensuring fair wages for our medical practitioners through this new agreement. It solidly supports recruiting and maintaining quality residents by making NYC Health + Hospitals more competitive, while also being monetarily accountable and equitable to our city’s taxpayers. Qualified personnel are crucial for the smooth functioning of the healthcare system, and fair wages are a step towards guaranteeing that.
This agreement is a solid testament to the power of collective bargaining and the importance of recognizing and remunerating the sacrifices and contribution of health practitioners, especially amidst global health crises. It serves as a significant guide for other cities to follow.
The way forward now is the ratification of this agreement by the members of the Committee of Interns and Residents. Post-ratification, the healthcare community of New York City can look forward to better structural and economic support in their indispensable task of serving the city’s residents.