University medical residents are at the intersection of two demographics–students and medical practitioners–which have seen huge bursts of unionization in the past year or so At the intersection, so it increasingly little surprise to see them unionize. Yesterday the medical residents at George Washington University became the latest to unionize, doing so by a crushing mandate of 253-16. They'll be affiliated with CIR/SEIU (Committee of Interns and Residents, a branch of the SEIU) from this day forward.
The unionization effort at George Washington began last year and quickly picked up steam with residents; by early this year, the union had a supermajority of the bargaining unit signing cards, which is generally a position of strength for a union. Nonetheless, George Washington denied an effort at voluntary recognition, necessitating the union election you see here.
Pay has been a big concern for residents–who frequently work as many as 80 hours a week but have a consistent salary of $64,000–but other concerns motivated their unionization as well. Many have student loan debt or childcare costs; resident healthcare comes out of their own paychecks. In a DCist article one resident reported that she had to rearrange her budget to afford groceries after a telemedicine call cost her $100. The university hospital's call rooms (where residents rest) have also been infested of bedbugs and seen a general lack of cleanliness in recent years. (GWU is not unique in this regard apparently; this issue has been noted at other universities by residents seeking to unionize.) Each of these is something the union hopes to help change as they negotiate their first contract with the university.
George Washington is also facing a nurse unionization effort, which will likely become a post of its own when their election is scheduled.