In the winter of 2024, resident physicians and fellows at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University (NU) officially became the largest group of housestaff to unionize in the midwest.
“Standing with our colleagues, we can raise the standard of care across the city and beyond and push Northwestern to actively address healthcare disparities and invest in healthcare services that all community members can access,” said Dr. Hebron Kelecha when the doctors won their union.
The physicians are already holding NU to account. This September, NU doctors voted overwhelmingly to ratify their first union contract–the result of consistent organizing and collective action.
“With our contract ratified, we can now be fully focused on our patients and providing them the highest quality care they deserve,” said general surgery resident Dr. Whitney Jones. “We have demonstrated that powerful change is possible when we as residents and fellows unite and fight for the protections, benefits, and working conditions we need to provide great care to our patients.”
Achieving this victory was not an easy road, especially in the face of a behemoth corporate university like Northwestern. Over the course of more than a year of negotiations, and in the face of consistent disrespect and rejections from the administration, CIR members kept fighting for crucial protections and salary and benefits improvements. From their first petition delivery to a powerful unity break on August 22, attended by almost 400 doctors, NU residents and fellows kept their eyes on the finish line–determined to secure real support for themselves, and ultimately for care in Chicago.
The health landscape in the city, though particular, is reflective of the overall injustices in medicine across the country. In recent years, relentless hospital closures have pummeled Chicago, especially in Black communities.
With fewer hospitals than ever for patients to access, University of Chicago residents and fellows, like their Northwestern peers, are the backbone of care for their communities. But many of these physicians, who voted to join CIR shortly after NU housestaff, are barely scraping by. Thankfully, this fall, after months of consistent action, including a huge unity break in September, UChicago physicians also forced a change in the status quo.
Reaching a tentative agreement on October 21, the UChicago physicians won 18% salary increases over the life of the contract, a $9,000 annual living stipend, a minimum of $100 an hour for moonlighting, license reimbursements, and more! They say the tangible support they won through their organizing represents an investment in community health–exactly what they set out to achieve through their unionization.
“My colleagues and I chose medicine because guiding our patients through health and illness is both an honor and a privilege, but we’d had enough of sacrificing our own well-being,” said Dr. Jasmine Chaparro, a second-year resident in family medicine. “With our new contract, the improvements we’ve secured will help make this profession much more sustainable for us as physicians and lead to a better healing environment for our patients.”
At Northwestern, CIR physicians won overall compensation increases of 16 percent in the first year of the contract, reimbursements for licenses and step three exams, lower health care costs, and much more. With more than 1300 physicians benefitting from the new contract, CIR doctors say this is a historic win.
“This contract is a win for Chicago’s physicians and our patients,” said CIR Regional Vice President and University of Illinois, Chicago Resident Dr. Nikki Alberti. “When we have the support and resources we need to focus on delivering the best care to the people of Chicago, everyone wins.”
