Resident physicians and fellows at the University of Minnesota Medical Center gathered outside the Minneapolis hospital to demand a first union contract, nearly a year after they organized with a national physicians union. The rally comes as bargaining between the university and the Committee of Interns and Residents, an affiliate of SEIU, has stretched on for months without a final agreement on pay and benefits.
CIR-SEIU was certified as the bargaining representative for U of M resident physicians and fellows in April 2025, and negotiations for a first contract began that September, according to KARE 11. The union says it is seeking fair pay and mental health benefits for its members, per a press release cited by the station. University of Minnesota Medical Center is the flagship location for M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, and the residents who work there provide frontline patient care while also serving as post-graduate trainees.
One doctor at the rally described the bargaining battle as antagonistic, the station reported. The frustration reflects the unusual position resident physicians occupy: they staff hospitals as full-time caregivers while also being bound by national residency matching systems that leave them with little individual leverage to seek better terms elsewhere, according to the research notes underlying this report.
Steady Progress, But Core Issues Remain
The university says it has bargained in good faith since talks began nearly a year ago, per the same KARE 11 report, and that it recognizes residents’ and fellows’ role in patient care, medical research, and daily hospital operations. The university also said it is committed to reaching an agreement that continues a high-quality training environment, and that it values its resident and fellow physicians…