The House Officers Association is a legally recognized union under the Michigan Public Employees Relations Act (PERA). As those who were here during contract negotiations last year know, the hospital has a legal obligation to negotiate with the HOA over wages, benefits, and working conditions for House Officers. However, this legal bargaining obligation continues after we have a new contract. If your program leadership tries to change any of your working conditions, the HOA still has a right to sit down and negotiate so your voice can be heard.

Currently, the HOA is negotiating the transfer of much of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Program to the Trinity Health campus in Chelsea. Representatives of the HOA and the hospital are working on an agreement to aid House Officers in the PM&R program who will be impacted by this change. We are requesting reimbursements for any PM&R House Officers who need to relocate to comply with rules regarding home call, ensuring mileage reimbursements continue, and codifying that the new work location has access to appropriate call room space in accordance with our contract. We hope we can reach a quick agreement with the hospital on this and anything else that impacts PM&R House Officers.

Changes don't need to be something as drastic as your program changing locations to trigger impact negotiations. Currently, the HOA is working with residents and fellows in the Anesthesiology program to negotiate the impact of a potential new attendance policy. If a new policy is announced in your program that you and your colleagues feel is a change to your overall working conditions or provisions in your current contract, please contact the HOA. Even if it is something that ultimately doesn't align with the Employer's bargaining obligation, the HOA regularly has Labor Management Committee (LMC) meetings with the administration to address issues of broad concern to our membership.

A union protects you from arbitrary and unexpected modifications to your working conditions without the input of you and your colleagues. Make sure you exercise this right and reach out to your HOA representatives if you feel a term of employment has changed.