(MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA) - A super-majority of the almost 1,000 Resident Physicians and Fellows at the University of Minnesota (UMN) have filed for Union recognition with the Committee of Interns and Residents-Service Employees International Union (CIR/SEIU), the largest Physicians’ Union in the country.

Their Union Organizing Campaign was made possible by ground-breaking reform to Minnesota’s Public Employment Labor Relations Act (PELRA), passed last year.

When they officially certify their Union, the UMN Physicians will be the first Resident and Fellow Physicians Unionized in the State, alongside their peers at Hennepin Health, as well as some of the first University Workers to Unionize under the reform. 

Working at the center of care for patients across the Twin Cities and far beyond, Physician Leaders say they’re Unionizing in order to transform their unsustainable working conditions and to safeguard the health of the State.

The Doctors are calling on UMN President Dr. Rebecca Cunningham and administrators to cooperate with the Unionization process and come to the bargaining table right away to negotiate their first contract. 

“We went into medicine because we want to take care of people, but at the heart of it, we just don’t think that great patient care should have to come at the expense of our well-being,” said Dr. Sofia Haile, a Family Medicine Resident. “In fact, we believe our health and our patients’ health are actually intertwined. Creating a system where Physicians can be our best for patients and be our best for ourselves is what we’re hoping to achieve as a Union.”

Working up to 80 hours a week on pay as little as about Minneapolis minimum wage, the Physicians struggle to afford to live close to work, in some cases commuting long distances before working 24-hour on-call shifts.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital, severe understaffing leaves Residents and Fellows scrambling to keep patient care running smoothly.

These and other issues compound the impact of an already highly stressful workplace and lead to rampant burnout - making it difficult for Doctors to want to stay in Minnesota after they complete their training at UMN. 

The Physicians’ Union Campaign was enabled by the work of the UMN Labor Rights Coalition, who spent years fighting to pass PELRA reform.

Now, amid an ongoing Physician shortage and corporate maneuvering that may significantly alter the State’s health landscape, Doctors say it’s all the more essential for them to have a seat at the table. 

To Continue Reading This Organizing Labor News Story, Go To: Almost 1000 University of Minnesota Doctors File to Unionize - Committee of Interns and Residents