Medical residents employed by three Care New England hospitals voted Wednesday to unionize with Service Employees International Union’s Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU).
Residents at Kent Hospital won their union election with 72.5% of the vote, 74-28. At Women and Infants they won their union election 40-8, or 83% of the vote. Finally, Butler residents won with 92% of the vote, 33-3. CIR-SEIU now represents about 230 residents at these hospitals, whether they voted for the union or not.
Residents organized on a platform of wages and benefits that more fairly reflect the fact that they can sometimes work 80 hours in a single week. The starting salaries at those hospitals, according to a spokesperson from CIR-SEIU, are $70,555 at Butler, $63,985 at Kent, and $66,978 at Women & Infants. Other residents who have organized with CIR-SEIU have seen their salaries rise by more than $15,000 after getting a first contract under a new union.
This story was reported by The Public's Radio. You can read the entire story here.
