California doctors strengthen collective bargaining hand. (Short Takes).

The California Medical Association (CMA) and the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) have announced a first-of-its-kind partnership aimed at strengthening the collective bargaining power of resident physicians. CIR. a union with nearly 10.000 members in hospitals nationwide, is the oldest. largest. and fastest-growing union of U.S. resident physicians and is now affiliated with the Service Employees International Union. CMA, one of the nation's most active and influential state medical societies, represents more than 34.000 physicians. CMA's Resident Physicians Section has long been involved in graduate medical education and public health issues.

CMA and CIR agreed to encourage residents to join each other's organizations. and agreed to jointly advocate for shared policy positions. This new "mutual endorsement" plan yielded its first results on Friday June 11. when 600 resident physicians employed at a number of Bay Area hospitals voted overwhelmingly to join the 9,000 interns and residents already in CIR.

"Especially in this era of rampant cost cutting. it is imperative that physicians-in-training have the strongest collective bargaining expertise they can get." said CMA CEO Jack Lewin, MD.

James A. Hawkins is Publisher of Healthcare Briefings, a newsletter available in print, on cassette, via fax, and on computer disk. He can be reached at 800/338-5486.