The CIR filed the lawsuit against NLRB on behalf of 430 residents it represents at Boston Medical Center, a private hospital formed through the 1996 merger of public Boston City Hospital and private Boston University Medical Center. As part of the merger agreement, the medical center recognized CIR's representation of the resident union. But the CIR used the merger as an opportunity to challenge NLRB's ruling. They see the way medicine is managed and controlled right in front of their eyes. Nobody asks them how they feel about it.
Unions are a way to get their point across.
A spokesman for Physicians for Responsible Negotiation, the national negotiating organization created by the AMA in June, said the ruling gives residents opportunities to resolve patient care and workplace issues. Many residents work more than 80 hours per week and have complained about poor working conditions for years. Dr. Adelman said PRN would offer resident physicians a professional alternative to traditional labor unions. PRN's chief differences with other physician unions include pledges not to strike or withhold essential medical services. For some residents, collective bargaining under federal labor laws will be an important opportunity.