(NEW YORK CITY) - More than 150 community allies and Front Line Residents and Fellows at Montefiore Medical Center, represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), rallied recently to demand a first contract.

Frustrated by continued delays, residents asked Hospital leadership to seriously come to the negotiating table and finalize a fair contract that includes lasting improvements in an increasingly overwhelmed hospital environment to the Physicians’ working conditions and secures a living wage and benefits, Union Officials said.

Montefiore is the dominant Health Care System in the Bronx, an area with deeply entrenched inequities in access to health care, and Front Line Physicians shoulder the responsibility of caring for thousands of patients.

Hospitals across the country, like Montefiore, are failing to invest resources in the communities most in need of quality care, Union Officials said.

Front Line Doctors have seen first-hand the divestment of services from the Bronx, which contradicts Montefiore's long-standing commitment to serving that community and its stated values of equity and diversity.

Dr. Elise Gruber, a Family Medicine Resident Physician at Montefiore, said: “Monte has historically centered itself in the Bronx and hospital representatives have publicly showcased this distinction over and over again.  Budgeting millions of dollars for TV ads and a box at Madison Square Garden - yet not even showing up to bargain a fair contract with livable wages for the Doctors who directly care for Montefiore’s patients?  Not bothering to respond to our proposal of a discretionary patient care fund dedicated to our patient’s unique needs.  It’s time for Monte representatives to stop showing off and start showing up.”