The Vermont Doctors Ratified Their Historic First Collective Bargaining Agreement With 100% of Voters Voting Yes

Burlington, VT – The Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU’s membership has voted to ratify a 2.5 year contract for University of Vermont Medical Center resident physicians. The contract includes base salary increases totaling 20 percent over the term of the two-year and seven-months contract. The news comes amid unprecedented growth in resident physician labor organizing. 

“We are so excited to have negotiated such a strong first contract, which we believe sets a new standard for residency programs not only in New England but across the country,” shared Dr. Michael Madrid, a third-year resident specializing in anatomic & clinical pathology. “With this investment into resident physician training and well-being, our focus will be on what matters most: delivering the exceptional care that every Vermonter deserves.”

In addition to the salary increase, the new contract includes additional compensation for moonlighting and unplanned backup shifts, education and meal funds for each resident, increased vacation and caregiver leave and other important measures such as the provision of surgical loupes and protective lead. This is the first time UVM Medical Center has negotiated a contract with resident physicians. 

“We are proud of this contract, and worked hard to make it meaningful for our resident physicians,” said Jason Sanders, MD, UVM Health Network EVP of Clinical Affairs. “Residents are essential to the care we provide as a teaching hospital and health system and to our academic mission. This contract will help make our already sought-after Graduate Medical Education programs even more competitive.” 

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The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest housestaff 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. 

The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.  The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.