Bronx, NY – Residents and fellows at Montefiore Moses Campus have been voting since January 26, and are able to vote until February 16, on whether they want to form a union. The union local chapter would be part of the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU). Montefiore has taken steps to influence the votes of residents and fellows against unionization, such as creating a website which lists purported reasons not to join the union and advertising this website on computers that are used by residents and fellows to deliver patient care during the voting period. Montefiore has also created a five-minute video to deter residents and fellows from approving the union.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), whose district includes the Montefiore Moses Campus, issued the below statement in response:

“I am deeply displeased to see such overt anti-union tactics being used by Montefiore during the ongoing vote for CIR-SEIU unionization. All workers deserve the right to organize and advocate for their collective interests, and frankly Montefiore should have voluntarily recognized this union from the start. Our healthcare system should put people ahead of profits, and that includes both workers and patients.

“Furthermore, for Montefiore to expend resources and set up an anti-union website and video, and then to promote that material on the computers used by residents and fellows, is downright ugly. This type of behavior would be expected from a massive corporation like Amazon or Starbucks, and to see it being implemented by Montefiore is deeply unsettling. Bronxites deserve a healthcare institution that recognizes the humanity of their workers, includes worker perspectives in decision-making processes, and abides by the limitations of the human body with respect to how many hours can be worked before patient care suffers. We deserve better than anti-union tactics which do nothing to help the working conditions or patient care.”