Philadelphia's health care landscape might be taking a significant turn as nearly 3,000 resident physicians and fellows from multiple major health systems have announced plans to unionize, spurred by increasing work hours and concerns over patient care. This move includes residents from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Temple University Hospital and Einstein Healthcare Network, with the unionization effort also stretching to Delaware's ChristianaCare, according to an announcement by the Committee of Interns and Residents.
In an effort mirrored by the recent successful contract negotiation by Penn Medicine’s residents, the physicians across these institutions are seeking improved conditions that they believe will enhance both their own well-being and patient care; they cite grueling work schedules and understaffing as key factors in their decision, in a statement obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer, and their intentions are firming up in the face of a potential shift in federal labor policies under the incoming Trump administration, a structure of the labor board that often changes depending on the sitting president.
The movement represents a growing trend among physicians towards unionization, reflecting broader changes in the healthcare industry where the majority of doctors are now employees of larger health systems rather than running their own independent practices; this shift has seen increasing administrative loads and fixed salaries without overtime pay pushing more doctors towards organized labor which is evident in how CIR’s membership has doubled since 2019, a detail shared by PhillyVoice.
As residents are coming together seeking to hold union elections, they have gained the support of local council members with Councilmember Jamie Gauthier asserting, "The resident physicians who steward world-class institutions deserve world-class wages and world-class contracts," in an interview with 6abc Action News; meanwhile, Jefferson Health responded to the union efforts by stating they provide competitive wages and benefits with a belief that a direct working relationship between team members and leaders yields the most productive outcomes, a sentiment echoed in the communications from various healthcare systems.
Residents like Dr. Natalie Labossier, speaking about her harrowing work hours, made their case clear, "For all the work we do, we deserve better and so do our patients," as reported by 6abc Action News, and with the physicians' determined efforts to push for unionization before potential political impediments arise, the healthcare landscape in Philadelphia may soon see significant changes in how resident doctors work and negotiate their terms of employment.
