Elmhurst Hospital resident doctors strike as deal deadline passes

QUEENS - A deadline to reach a deal between Mount Sinai and resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens has passed, and according to around 165 doctors, they are walking off the job.

They’re demanding Mount Sinai pay them the same wages as their counterparts in Manhattan. 

Residents said it's the second time they’ve threatened to strike in a month. 

According to the union, it has been bargaining with Mount Sinai for almost a year.

While Elmhurst is a public hospital, run by NYC Health + Hospitals, the residents are a part of a Mount Sinai training program, who say they're making up to $11,000 less each year compared to their counterparts in Manhattan.

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It’s Mount Sinai signing their checks, which they said are $7,000 smaller than the non-unionized residents in Mount Sinai’s main campus in Manhattan. 

This will go up to an $11,000 disparity in July, meaing a first-year resident at Elmhurst makes $68,000, whereas their counterparts at Mount Sinai will make $79,000.

A deadline to reach a deal between Mount Sinai and resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital has passed, and doctors said they are walking off the job.

The union says a 10-day strike notice was given, giving ample time for an agreement to be made, which didn't happen.

In a statement, a Mount Sinai spokesperson said, "We are committed to working towards an equitable and reasonable resolution that is in the best interest for both our residents at Elmhurst as well as for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and are working closely with partners at Elmhurst Hospital to ensure the same quality and level of care and services that the local community expects and deserves are not affected by the strike."

"We have offered a package that is commensurate or above the tentative agreement between residents at other hospitals and are committed to finding a mutually acceptable solution as soon as possible."

The union is promising a 10-day strike.