Elmhurst Hospital Resident Physicians End Strike, Reach Tentative Deal

QUEENS — Resident physicians at Elmhurst Hospital ended their strike Wednesday following a tentative agreement with Mount Sinai on pay parity with non-unionized doctors in Manhattan.

After three days on strike, the roughly 165 doctors at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said their employer agreed to increase wages by 18 percent over three years, retroactive to November 2022.

The tentative deal also includes a $2,000 ratification bonus, an agreement to negotiate on hazard pay, a meal allowance that reaches parity with Mount Sinai Hospital residents, and the creation of a transportation committee, said the Committee of Interns and Residents.

“This fight was always about power, and Elmhurst residents are truly building that together,” said Dr. Sarah Hafuth in a statement. “Getting a multi-billion-dollar revenue employer like Mount Sinai to move this far really shows what our movement as residents can achieve—even up against the most flagrant union busting and profit-driven corporations.

The contract will expire on June 30, 2025. Residents are set to return to work at 7 a.m. on Thursday.

The strike at Elmhurst Hospital was the first stoppage since 1990, when 600 nonmedical workers at Jamaica Hospital went on strike.

“To be treated with fairness, dignity and respect is all these healthcare heroes have wanted from the start," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. "Unions everywhere will look to you as models for how to achieve workplace justice and I will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with you and all workers, from nurses to writers and beyond, in that fight.”