Nearly 1,300 Northwestern Doctors Stitch Together Unionization Drive

EVANSTON, IL — Nearly 1,300 resident physicians and fellows at Northwestern Medicine have announced their plans to unionize, citing working conditions at one of the most profitable health care systems in the country.

The group of doctors have filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board announcing their intent to unionize with the Committee of Interns and Residents, part of the Service Employees International Union and the largest hospital house staff union in the country.

Dr. Joseph deBettencourt, a pediatrician in the third year of his residency at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, said in a statement that he and his colleagues were forming a union because they believe they can help improve the health system.

"Over the last few years we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number and complexity of pediatric patients-yet due to inadequate staffing and support systems, we have to sacrifice our well-being to provide the high-quality care our patients receive," deBettencourt said.

The group of frontline Chicago doctors regularly work more than 80 hours a week, according to union representatives.

"By forming a union," he said, "we can gain the power and support to address these issues and actively improve our work place and the care we provide for our patients.”

According to representatives of the residents, a union will help doctors advocate for their patients, especially those facing obstacles to access to health care, in addition to improving their own residency conditions.

“I think one of our most important goals is ensuring that we have all the necessary resources to provide the best possible care for our patients,” said Dr. Mugdha Mokashi, a second-year resident at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Northwestern's medical school.

“Working in Ob/Gyn, my colleagues and I care for some of Chicago’s most vulnerable patient populations, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured and have complex medical conditions," she said. "With a union, we can advocate for greater investment into resources that will ensure we can provide exceptional care for everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.”

So far in 2023, Northwestern Medicine made $2.3 billion in net patient revenue, according to representatives of the union. Net patient revenue is calculated by subtracting patient discounts from total patient revenue. According to data from Definitive Healthcare, Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago has the highest net patient revenue in the state and the 50th-highest in the nation.

Resident physicians at the University of Illinois joined the SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents in 2021 and agreed to a four-year collective bargaining agreement earlier this year.

Nearly 1,200 other Northwestern hospital workers are already unionized with SEIU Healthcare. In May, it negotiated a three year-contact with "historic yearly wage increases," retroactive pay and new hiring minimums.

The Northwestern residents who have submitted their unionization petition have requested voluntary recognition of the union from Northwestern management. A spokesperson for the McGaw Medical Center, which links together Northwestern Medicine with the university's Feinberg School of Medicine, told Crain's Chicago Business that officials at McGaw were reviewing the petition.