School of Medicine & Health Sciences residents and fellows on Thursday initiated a strike authorization vote more than a year after the union entered contract negotiations with the University for higher wages and mental health resources.

The union in a press release Friday said residents and fellows will vote on whether to initiate a strike because they have “exhausted all options” to reach a contract with the University, claiming officials have rejected “key” proposals, canceled bargaining sessions and deployed “delay tactics” and “unfair labor practices” since GW and the union initiated contract negotiations in November 2023. The vote on whether to strike comes after the union attempted in recent months to pressure the University to accelerate a collective bargaining agreement by forming a picket line and circulating a petition.

Residents and fellows will vote from Thursday to Tuesday on whether they should authorize a strike, according to the press release. If the union initiates a strike following the vote, they are required to notify GW 10 days in advance because they represent health care workers, per the National Labor Relations Act.

The union’s press release states that officials’ refusal to address residents and fellows’ reports of burnout and resident physician suicide “undermines” their ability to provide medical care to patients and prevents the University from hiring and retaining qualified employees.

“We are not asking for the world — we’re asking for a livable wage, comprehensive benefits, and meaningful support for resident mental health,” Maryssa Miller, a resident physician in internal medicine at GW Hospital, said in the press release.

University spokesperson Kathleen Fackelmann said officials have “continually engaged” in good faith negotiations with the union and the two parties are “underway” to complete a contract, having reached a tentative agreement on about 24 contract provisions since fall 2023. She said officials typically meet with the union twice a month and have prescheduled additional meetings in November and December that go “outside the normal cadence” in an effort to solidify a contract.

“The University understands and acknowledges the importance of the remaining unresolved issues, including with respect to benefits, compensation, and access to mental health services,” Fackelmann said in an email. “The good faith negotiations that have been underway and continue include a range of new enhancements that are responsive to union concerns.”

Fackelmann said SMHS is “sensitive” to the mental well-being of health care professionals and offers several categories of benefits, including leave programs. She said SMHS launched the GW Resiliency & Well Being Center following the COVID-19 pandemic, which she said some residents used for appointments.

“The ongoing, good faith negotiations over mental health care with the union further underscore the vital importance of resident’s mental health and well-being,” Fackelmann said.

The SMHS residents and fellows in April 2023 voted 253-16 to unionize, citing low salaries and insufficient mental health resources. A union press release from September states that some residents make $15 per hour while the hospital faces understaffing.

GW residents earn between $66,628 and $86,903 per year, which University officials annually raise to account for employees’ number of years post-graduation, according to SMHS’ website. Residents can select benefits like medical insurance coverage provided by UnitedHealthcare, which covers prescription drugs through CVS Caremark, access to SimpleTherapy, Castlight, Real Appeal and the Maternity Support program.

Miller said in September that it is “the norm” for residents to work more than 80 hours per week. She said the long hours cause burnout and sleep deprivation, which increases peoples’ risk for depression. She added that “no one” wants to be taken care of by a doctor that is sleep-deprived or depressed.

“We’ve sacrificed so much, especially since the onset of the pandemic,” Miller said in the September release. “GWU has failed to acknowledge the toll this has taken on our physical and mental health. We will always go above and beyond for our patients, but we should not have to sacrifice our own well-being to do so.”