Residents and fellows at Northwestern University's McGaw Medical Center voted Monday to unionize, citing their concerns with a lack of information about pay increases and benefits from the health system.
More than 1,300 residents and fellows will join the Committee of Interns and Residents/Service Employees International Union after nearly 800 voted in favor of the move.
Related: Resident, doctors unions see new interest, membership
McGaw, affiliated with Northwestern Medicine and Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement that it respects the decision of its residents and fellows to unionize. The system will "remain committed to them, and to providing medical training that enhances the future of medicine," the statement said.
With staff unionized, the next step is to push for more transparency and accountability from the health system, said Paige Hackenberger, a resident physician at McGaw.
“Right now, we don't have firm language, or guarantees about how our wages, working conditions and benefits are going to be managed,” she said. “When you're looking at training periods that for some people are three-to-seven years in duration, not having a sense year-to-year of what's available to us is really disconcerting.”
By ensuring salaries keep pace with the rapidly increasing cost of living and that benefits allow for easier family and life planning, healthcare becomes a more sustainable career for people of all different backgrounds, Hackenberger said.
The residents and fellows also hope to use their union power to push for better patient care through additional case managers and translation services.
The bargaining unit is the latest to join CIR/SEIU, which has seen record increases in membership over the past two years, adding more than 10,000 union members.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said the residents and fellows were part of Northwestern Medicine.
