Cambridge leaders support physician residents at local hospital chain

Resident physicians and fellows at a Cambridge hospital chain have been working without a contract since July, and the Cambridge City Council went “on record” Monday night that they support a quick resolution to a fair contract.

The resolution, brought by Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, passed unanimously by the councilors to support residents’ negotiations with Cambridge Health Alliance, which has primary care, specialty care, and hospital locations in Cambridge, Somerville, Malden, Revere, and Everett. 

During the public comment period — which was mostly focused on bike safety after a recent death on Memorial Drive — CHA residents described their experiences as “the lowest-earning residents in the Boston area.” According to their union, they’ve been negotiating for a contract for five months.

The CHS staff are unionized with the Committee of Interns and Residents, which represents more than 33,000 resident physicians and fellows nationally. There are organized residents at Boston Medical Center and multiple institutions in California.

The union is asking for increased wages and scheduling protections. Jesse Bossingham, a second-year resident with CHA, told councilors that they make “much less” than other residents, including at Boston Medical Center. 

“That means, not only are we financially stressed, this threatens CHA’s ability to keep recruiting passionate doctors like all of us to care for this community,” Bossingham said. “CHA leadership is allowing this scheduling to occur because of the status quo. Residents are used as cheap labor to keep our hospitals running.”

A spokesperson for CHA said they are making “every effort to come to an agreement with CIR.” They said they “are committed to providing competitive salaries” and provide “comprehensive and competitive” health care.

“We are still in negotiations and have included many benefits in our proposals. We strive to be an employer of choice, prioritizing fair wages for our employees,” their statement said. “We are confident that our positions are fair, support outstanding patient care, and reflect respect for the tremendous contributions our resident physicians and interns provide to patient care.”

Katharine Kosinski, the chief of pathology at CHA for more than 25 years, told the councilors Monday that supported adding an amendment to acknowledge CHA’s obligation to safeguard their financial viability.

“I am confident that management is negotiating in good faith and that a fair and equitable resolution will come from these negotiations,” she said.