Rhode Island Hospital resident physicians ratify first union contract

Union officials announced Tuesday that almost 700 resident physicians and fellows ratified their first contract with Rhode Island Hospital.

The contract includes pay increases, better retirement benefits and other improvements for the early career doctors working at Rhode Island’s largest hospital in Providence, also the flagship facility of Brown University Health.

The contract follows months of negotiations and was approved last week by 95% of physicians who participated in the vote, according to a news release by the union which represents the doctors, the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU).

The agreement outlines a 12% increase in base pay, lower health insurance premiums, more workplace accommodations for lactating mothers and a 401(k) employer match of up to 6%, according to the union.

Dr. Samantha Palacios, a second-year emergency medicine resident at Rhode Island Hospital, said in a phone interview Tuesday that she’s grateful the negotiations didn’t escalate to a strike. Although she sees room for future improvement, Palacios said the unionized residents are pleased with their progress.

“I think overall the sentiment from everybody is just excitement that this fight, at least for the time being, is over,” Palacios said.

Rhode Island Hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan confirmed Tuesday that the contract runs through June 30, 2029, and called the agreement “the result of productive discussions and the dedication of both negotiating teams.”

“We are grateful to our residents and fellows for their ongoing commitment to patient care and are proud to move forward together in support of our mission to deliver high-quality care, advance medical education, and serve our community,” Brennan wrote over email.

The newly ratified contract concludes a lengthy organizing and bargaining process which began in 2024, when the doctors now represented by CIR/SEIU initially shared their plans to unionize. They formally joined the union after a union election in January 2025, becoming the first resident physician group in the state to do so.

Rhode Island Hospital residents’ organizing efforts ramped up in recent months. More than 100 unionized resident physicians rallied outside the hospital on June 5, citing their wages as inadequate given their sizable workloads as well as the high cost of living in the region.

Immediately after the rally, resident doctors delivered a petition to the hospital’s chief medical officer. The petition, signed by more than 70% of the hospital’s residents, noted support for the union at the state level and called for compensation more in line with the pay offered by other institutions. The union claimed at the time that many residents were living from paycheck to paycheck and making salaries that amounted to about $16 to $18 an hour.

“We have received majority support from the RI state legislature, who recognize the essential work that we do, and how the Hospital needs to come to the table with offers that reflect the value of our labor and our dedication to our patients,” the petition’s signatories wrote in their letter.

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The union picketed earlier this month on Oct. 2, following the union’s rejection of hospital management’s then-latest offer.

Palacios said Tuesday the successful organizing effort demonstrates how important residents are to the hospital.

“The hospital truly does run off of our labor,” she said, noting that residents’ wages have not always reflected the “very laborious week[s]” they work.

“We weren’t asking for mountains to be moved,” she added. “We were asking for the bare minimum.”

Residents at three other Rhode Island hospitals — Women & Infants, Butler and Kent hospitals — also unionized with CIR/SEIU in 2025. Those contract campaigns are still underway, according to the union. All three of those hospitals belong to the Care New England network.

Palacios said the union’s success at Rhode Island Hospital has “moved the needle” for negotiating efforts at these other hospitals — efforts with which the Rhode Island Hospital residents can now assist.

“We’re grateful that we can now turn our efforts toward getting their contracts ratified as well,” she said.

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Courtesy of Rhode Island Current