After nearly a year of tense back-and-forth, more than 1,000 resident physicians and fellows at the University of Chicago Medicine voted Friday to ratify their first collective bargaining agreement, with 99 percent in favor. The nearly five-year deal locks in a 17 percent wage increase spread over five years, a $9,000 annual recruitment stipend, rideshare reimbursements for long shifts, and new due-process protections.
As the Chicago Maroon reported, the vote capped nearly a year of contentious bargaining that included a "unity break" and two full-day sessions. Organizers say the package aims to ease burnout and financial pressures that have driven a wave of organizing across teaching hospitals.
What the contract includes
The agreement guarantees a 17 percent overall pay bump phased over five years, rideshare reimbursements for long shifts, and a $9,000 annual recruitment stipend, along with new due-process protections to limit unilateral program changes, according to Chicago Maroon. "They definitely made us feel like they weren’t as interested in doing this in a timely way," Marin Mazeres said, describing missed meetings and an administration that sometimes left bargaining sessions while residents were still asking questions.
How they got here
According to a press release from CIR/SEIU, residents voted to unionize in May 2024 with about 98 percent support. The newly ratified pact follows a year of bargaining and public actions that organizers say were necessary to win concessions from hospital leadership.
Pay and the practical squeeze
Residents at major teaching hospitals routinely work up to ACGME-allowed maximums — an 80-hour workweek averaged over four weeks and continuous duty periods capped by the accreditor — a reality organizers say makes predictable transportation and modest pay bumps essential for safety and retention, according to AHRQ. The starting PGY-1 stipend at UChicago was $75,205 for the 2025–26 year, per the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics.
What’s next
The UChicago deal arrives amid a wave of resident union wins nationwide and comes just weeks after resident physicians at Northwestern’s McGaw Medical Center ratified their first contract, signaling momentum for CIR/SEIU in Chicago teaching hospitals, according to Becker's Hospital Review. Organizers say negotiators will now monitor implementation and press for full enforcement of staffing and transportation provisions.
Union leaders are framing the win as a foundation for better training and retention, while organizers say they’ll stay vigilant as administrators put the agreement into practice. The real test, residents and advocates say, will be whether these gains make training safer and more sustainable on the South Side.
