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CHICAGO – Physicians For Responsible Negotiation (PRN), a national negotiating (labor) organization created by the American Medical Association, lauds the decision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), to allow resident physicians in private institutions to organize collective bargaining units under the National Labor Relations Act.

The decision, in the Boston Medical Center case, reverses a more than 2 decade old NLRB opinion that had found resident physicians, training in the nation’s teaching hospitals, were not "employees" for purposes of national labor laws. Resident physicians have been able to organize in some public hospitals under state laws.

"We are very excited that the NLRB has reversed its previous opinion and decided this case in favor of empowering resident physicians to organize. This decision will now allow physicians in training to raise and resolve important patient care and other workplace issues with the protection of federal labor laws," said Susan H. Adelman, MD, President of PRN. "We have been waiting for this decision and we are prepared to begin working with resident groups that would like to organize through PRN."

PRN will offer resident physicians a professional alternative to traditional labor unions. It will strictly follow and apply the ethical standards and principles of the medical profession in all of its activities. The goals of PRN will be accomplished without strikes or other withholding of essential medical services.

"It is now up to resident physicians across the country to decide what is right for them," explained Dr. Adelman. "For some residents, collective bargaining under federal labor laws will be an important opportunity. Others may choose a different course. For those who do choose the collective bargaining path, PRN will be there for them."