by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Residents and fellows at the UNM School of Medicine will vote Jan. 31 on whether to form a union.
If they formed a union, the physicians would bargain for salaries and benefits as a group, rather than individually.
Ben Hoffman, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education at the school, said UNM Hospital will accept whatever decision is reached in the vote.
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"We've done everything we can to make sure the election is fair and orderly," he said. "We will absolutely respect whatever comes out of the election. This is the residents understanding their right to do this and deciding what's best for them."
In order for the union to be formed, a simple majority of residents and fellows would have to vote in favor of it.
Forty percent of residents and fellows have to participate in the vote for it to be valid.
The decision to pursue unionization came because some residents were worried their health insurance might be decreased, said JosÇ Sterling, a surgical resident and chairman of the Resident Council.
"The best way to make sure we don't get decreased benefits is to get involved," he said. "I can just go to more meetings and talk to more people, but we need something that gives people a reason to listen to us - a collective-bargaining unit is one way to do that."
The union would be a local of the Committee of Interns and Residents, a national union with more than 12,000 members, according to the organization's Web site.
There are 508 residents and fellows in the school.
Some people were concerned that the push to unionize would hurt recruiting efforts, because it would make it seem like there was confrontation between residents and the hospital, Hoffman said.
"If things had gotten contentious and ugly, recruitment might have been a problem," he said. "But both the administration and the staff have been so open and professional about it that I don't think that's a problem."
Not all residents are in favor of unionization, Sterling said.
"I think the majority of residents realize that something should change," he said. "As far as forming a union, there are groups of residents who think it's not the right way to go."
No residents against unionization could be reached for comment Wednesday.
Public employees in New Mexico, including the residents, are not allowed to strike.
"Everyone's been very clear that strikes or walkouts would not be an option for this union," Hoffman said. "On top of that, it's not something that any of the students I've talked to would want to do, out of a sense of public service."
Hoffman said he is not worried that a union would cause problems at the hospital.
"The relationship between residents and the hospital is primarily educational," he said. "Unionization would not fundamentally change the educational environment. It would just change the mechanics by which some of the administrative aspects are handled."
All residents and fellows will be able to participate in the vote. Those who will be away Jan. 31 can set up another way to vote, Hoffman said.
Sterling said the union will not try to fight with the hospital.
"We don't want to bring the hospital down, but make it better," he said. "We're trying to make sure this isn't the residents causing trouble and having a children-rebelling-against-parents mentality."
