PROVIDENCE — Three years ago, Dr. Natalie Duke decided to leave Macon, Ga., to pursue a residency program at Brown University. The program is not unionized, but it had a diverse patient population. So she chose it over a unionized program at Bradley Hospital, a pediatric psychiatric facility owned by Brown University Health.

Non-union residents earn between $69,000 and almost $78,000 per year, regardless of the number of hours they work. And the cost of living in Providence adds up. Duke had to borrow nearly $10,000 from family members to move from Macon, and once she arrived in Providence, she quickly realized she couldn’t rely on public transportation to get to and from work, so she needed a car.

And then there were the housing costs. “I come from a place where $1,300 rent can get you a luxury apartment. If you want the exact same apartment in Providence, we can’t afford it and still make the salary we make,” Duke, now a third-year resident, told the Globe.

Duke and nearly 1,000 physicians and fellows affiliated with Brown University and employed by the state’s two largest health care providers, Care New England and Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan) are considering unionizing to fight for fair pay, benefits, workplace protections, and support for physician well-being. She said they faced extreme schedules.

They announced their campaign to join the Interns and Residents Committee on Wednesday, just days after filing petitions with the National Labor Relations Board to ask their employers recognize the union and meet them at the negotiating table. Residents have been trying to unionize for four years, colleagues told the Globe.

The vote date has not yet been set by the NLRB, but if they win their union campaign, the residents and fellows could be among the first doctors to unionize in the state of Rhode Island.

Spokespeople for Brown Health and Care New England said they were aware of the decision to unionize.

“Our residents and fellows play a vital role in providing high-quality care, and we greatly appreciate their contributions,” Jessica Wharton of Brown Health said in a statement sent to the Globe. “We remain committed to maintaining an open dialogue with them to support continued quality of patient education and care.” Above all, we are committed to fostering a positive and collaborative work environment for all of our employees.

“Women & Infants, Kent and Butler hospitals have each received a notice,” Raina Smith, a spokesperson for Care New England, told the Globe in a statement. “They’re looking at the information.”

Medical resident unions date back at least to the 1930s, when the Internal Council of Greater New York organized around compensation, complaints about working conditions and lack of learning conditions.

The union that Rhode Island fellows and doctors seek to join, the Interns and Residents Committeeis affiliated with the Service Employees International Union and already represents more than 34,000 interns, residents and fellows in Massachusetts, Vermont and eight other states, as well as Washington, DC.

Around New England, residents of Boston Medical Center, General Brigham’s MassCambridge Health Alliance, UMass, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and UVM Medical Center have already unionized, according to CIR coordinator Rachel Nass.

Medical residents typically work long and irregular hours. Dr. Kate Spiegel, a fourth-year resident at Rhode Island Hospital, said she and her colleagues work about 80 hours a week caring for the state’s sickest patients, but they don’t have not entitled to overtime.

“Over the past four years, I have seen some of the smartest, hardest-working people I know put themselves and their personal well-being on the line,” Spiegel said. “We know that personal well-being is a priority, but burnout is common. »

“On top of that, Rhode Island faces a critical shortage of doctors. Implementing changes – like better salaries – might actually incentivize doctors to stay here,” Spiegel added.

Spiegel, who grew up in Pennsylvania, comes from a long line of union members. Her grandmother’s grandfather, John Mitchell, was a founding member of the United Mine Workers of America at the turn of the 20th century. She was looking for a residency program that was already unionized, but the algorithmic system that matches residents to hospitals doesn’t always give fellows a choice in where they go, and they can’t easily move from one hospital to another at during their four years. residence.

“This is a binding match agreement,” said Dr. Laura Schwartz, a fourth-year resident at Brown Health-owned hospitals. “So over the last four years, (Brown Health) has made changes to our program, and we have no say in those changes.” There is no negotiating power. And it’s not like we can leave for another program.

Residents’ health care plans now include a deductible, Schwartz noted, and the cost of living increase they received is not comparable to the cost of living in Rhode Island, inflation or to my student loans.

“There is a misconception that because we are doctors, we earn all kinds of money. But that’s not what’s happening here,” Schwartz added. “We treat the sickest patients. We deserve our say.

Alexa Gagosz can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.