A supermajority of nearly 150 resident physicians at Visalia, Calif.-based Kaweah Delta Health Care District filed a petition for union recognition April 9.
The group would become the first resident physicians in their county to unionize, according to an April 9 news release from the Committee of Interns and Residents/Services Employees International Union that was shared with Becker’s. It is the largest physicians’ union in the country and would be the first at Kaewah Health.
The resident physicians are seeking to improve physician well-being and care across the region. They raised concerns such as lack of support, dwindling resources, long hours and low wages, including progressively cutting benefits, that they say are contributing to burnout and staffing gaps, according to the release.
“We came to Kaweah specifically because we wanted to work in a safety-net hospital caring for our working class communities from all walks of life,” Brandon Hennessy, DO, a surgery resident physician, said in the news release. “Residents are Kaweah — we know this hospital — so with a voice and input into decisions about our working environment, we hope we can win support to better care for ourselves, our families, and our patients.”
A hospital spokesperson declined to comment.
Kaweah Health operates a level 3 trauma center and more than 50 care locations across Tulare County.
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