The Physicians Say Wins Support Their Well-being, Patient care
Palo Alto – After thirteen months of contentious negotiations, resident physicians and fellows at Stanford Health Care reached a groundbreaking tentative agreement on their first contract with the health system Wednesday night. Represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), the residents say this historic deal, which includes a 21% increase in compensation, preservation of essential departmental benefits, a $50,000 annual stipend for a resident wellness committee, fully-funded rideshare services for fatigue mitigation, and a new grievance and arbitration process, will profoundly impact their lives and their ability to provide exceptional care to their community.
Stanford Health Care is one of the most profitable health systems in the country. Amidst the Bay Area’s worsening cost-of-living crisis, the physicians have shared that many of their peers have struggled to cover essential expenses including childcare, housing and groceries.
“We organized because we knew the exploitative nature of medical training needs to change–for both us and our patients,” said Dr. David Dupee, a third-year resident in psychiatry. “Resident working conditions and patient care are inextricably connected. This contract will help reduce our financial stress, allowing us to focus our attention on caring for our patients with less concern over how we’ll afford rent or childcare. We are proud of the precedent this sets, not only for current and future residents at Stanford, but also for our colleagues unionizing and negotiating at hospitals across the nation and the patients that we all serve.”
Resident physicians have $250,000 in student debt on average and often work upwards of 80 hours a week after medical school. A fair contract is essential so Stanford housestaff can provide high-quality care without compromising their mental, physical, or financial wellbeing.
The 1,500 person unit first won union representation in 2022 following an organizing campaign sparked by a resident-led protest in December 2020 against Stanford’s staff vaccination plan that initially excluded them from the first phase of the rollout.
The bargaining team is presenting the proposal to the full membership and says a ratification vote will happen in the coming weeks.
The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest house staff union in the United States, a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) representing over 30,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities
