Union: State approves UMass Medical School for bargaining

Photo | Grant Welker UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester

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By Grant Welker

The Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations has certified the ability of doctors in training at UMass Medical School to collectively bargain, according to the union those doctors voted to join.

The Committee of Interns and Residents said late Monday more than 600 residents and fellows are now able to collectively bargain. The CIR, part of the Service Employees International Union, initially announced the doctors' vote to unionize on March 2.

UMass didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

Unionization efforts at the Worcester school began in 2019, with residents concerned about having input on decisions on working conditions and patient safety and care, according to the union. They also cited concerns about student debt, increased costs of living and an overwhelming patient workload that became apparent during the coronavirus pandemic.

Residents and fellows at UMass Medical School will soon begin collective bargaining with the school on their first contract, the union said.

“It’s important now more than ever that residents join together, especially in the setting of so much sociopolitical unrest and threats to health care," Dr. Alex Lichtenberg, a neuro-psychiatry resident, said in a statement provided by the union. "Patient care is what ultimately suffers when workers don't have the support they need, and that is why we need a union."

CIR says it represents more than 17,000 resident physicians and fellows. Among its member institutions are Boston Medical Center and the Cambridge Health Alliance.