Northwestern Doctors Overwhelmingly Vote For Union Representation

EVANSTON, IL — In a landslide vote, nearly 1,300 medical residents and fellows at Northwestern Medicine have become the largest group of housestaff in the region to form a union.

In last week's vote, 794 voted in favor and just 148 voted against, according to the Committee of Interns and Residents, a unit of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.

Organizers of the unionization drive say it marks a major step to addressing working conditions and patient care standards. Union representatives will now take part in negotiations for a contract with hospital administrators.

“We are proud to be able to serve our community at one of the state’s top hospitals — but Northwestern’s reputation isn’t enough,” Dr. James Hammock said in a statement after the vote.

“Having a seat at the table means we can advocate for fair pay and improvements to our working conditions, allowing us to dedicate ourselves fully to our training and to providing the highest quality of care to our patients," said Hammock, a first-year psychiatry resident.

The unionization drive began last month when the doctors, who say they regularly work more than 80 hours a week, filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board.

Northwestern Medicine is one of the most profitable healthcare systems in the country, with a reported $2.3 billion in net patient revenue in 2023. Doctors supporting the drive said the union will allow them to advocate for better investment of its resources.

"We know that we are stronger together,” said third-year Ob/Gyn resident Dr. Hebron Kelecha. “Standing with our colleagues, we can raise the standard of care across the city and beyond and push Northwestern to actively address healthcare disparities and invest in healthcare services that all community members can access.”

According to the Lown Institute Hospitals Index, Northwestern Memorial Hospital comes in dead last in Illinois when measuring the difference in compensation between hospital executives and healthcare workers without advanced degrees. As a system, Northwestern Medicine ranks 273 out of 296 nationwide.

In its 2023 report, the institute found Northwestern Memorial had a $97 million "fair share deficit," meaning it received millions more in tax breaks than it provided in community benefits.

A spokesperson for leaders of McGaw Medical Center, which employs the residents and links Northwestern University's medical school with the nonprofit hospital system Northwestern Medicine, told Crain's Chicago Business that they "respect this outcome and the decision of our residents and fellows."

The latest unionization follows a similar path taken by 800 residents at the University of Illinois Chicago, who in 2021 became the first CIR/SEIU chapter in the Midwest and negotiated for significant wage increases in their first contract.

Earlier: Nearly 1,300 Northwestern Doctors Stitch Together Unionization Drive