Nearly 1,000 doctors in training at the University of Minnesota have filed to unionize.
Amid an ongoing physician shortage, local residents and fellows argue they are facing unsustainable working conditions.
Second-year infectious disease fellow Thomas Schmidt says in some circumstances residents are working up to 80 hours a week on pay as little as $16 per hour.
"A lot of us as trainees, we do stay there longer hours at times, and maybe we're putting off bedtime with our kids to be there for these patients, and not seeing my spouse," says Schmidt. "All these other things that are keys to our identity as people, not just being a physician."
This comes just after a group of 200 residents at Hennepin Healthcare filed to unionize earlier this month.
Schmidt says the union will also fight for better healthcare options and and time off packages for their members. He adds this was only possible after the Minnesota Legislature decided to restore collective bargaining rights to all university workers last year.
"Once that passed, that was an opportunity where we were able to come together with a real goal of focusing on, how do we improve patient care and the well-being of our trainees in this setting," Schmidt explains.