UChicago Medicine (UCMed) residents are pressing the hospital for a landmark first union contract. An all-day bargaining session is scheduled for October 14, following a rally on September 25 where around 200 resident physicians demanded fair compensation and benefits. Over 1,000 resident physicians, represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare (CIR/SEIU), have been in contract negotiations for over a year after voting to unionize with a 98 percent majority in May 2024.
According to Bradley Heinz, a resident in the Emergency Medicine program and member of the union’s bargaining committee, many residents routinely work 80-hour weeks, with some shifts lasting between 24 and 28 hours. “We have many union members who are talking about how their current salaries are not enough for them to afford rent, food, [and] other basic necessities to live in Chicago, on top of the heavy student loan debt that we carry into residency,” Heinz told the Maroon.
In addition to wage increases in line with those of peer institutions like the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, Heinz said the union aims for its first contract to include paid taxi rides to and from long shifts, compensation for long commutes to hospitals, support for residents starting families, and revised grievance procedures.
CIR/SEIU represents more than 40,000 resident physicians and fellows nationwide, including over 1,000 at UCMed. Just a month ago, the residents’ union at Northwestern University’s McGaw Medical Center ratified its first-ever union contract, guaranteeing an immediate 16 percent compensation increase in its first year, an annual $11,000 stipend, a 3 percent annual raise, a licensure reimbursement program, and lower healthcare costs.
Responding to the nationwide rise of medical unions, Heinz said, “We believe that these unionization efforts are all interconnected.… [That] residents have a collective voice at other institutions inspires us to know that we can have a collective voice at ours.”
At the UCMed September 25 walkout, resident physicians left work for 30 minutes and rallied for a contract. “So far, [bargaining sessions] have been about two hours twice a month,” said Samantha Rodriguez, a Department of Pediatrics resident and member of the union’s bargaining committee.
Referring to the upcoming bargaining session, she continued, “Being able to be in front of [the UCMed leadership]… and [bargain for] all the things that we need to best support ourselves and best support our family… is the major development that we’ve had, and it’s been the direct outcome of all the people that took part in that unity break and just the solidarity that we’re able to show.”
In a statement to the Maroon, a UCMed spokesperson reiterated the hospital’s commitment to reaching a fair agreement with residents. “Working under the supervision of our faculty and alongside our staff, residents and fellows training at the University of Chicago Medical Center are valued members of our clinical teams. Since November 2024, 21 negotiation sessions have led to tentative agreements on over 20 topics for CIR’s first collective bargaining agreement with the Medical Center. The Medical Center remains committed to continuing good-faith talks to reach a fair agreement that supports our medical trainees and maintains high-quality care for patients and the community.”
