A strike that was set to begin Monday has been averted at Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, known as WMed.
The school’s resident physicians reached a tentative deal with the medical school last week. For nearly eight months, about 200 residents and fellows had been negotiating for improvements in working conditions, including higher salaries and stipends, and more time off.
Mitchell Batchelder with the Resident and Fellow Alliance says the strike notice seemed to prompt a greater willingness from WMed management to reach an agreement. He emphasizes several key aspects of the deal.
“They secured a three-year contract with guaranteed wage increases each year,” Batchelder said. “They got a meal stipend. They’re working 24-hour shifts, and they need access to fresh, healthy food in order to bring their best while they’re working those 24 hours.”
Batchelder adds the agreement marks a historic milestone as the first private-sector medical resident contract in the state of Michigan.
