CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Medical residents and fellows at University of Chicago Medicine took a step towards unionizing on Monday.
About 1,000 residents and fellows filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election on whether to unionize.
They would be represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents, which is part of Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
The union said doctors-in-training with University of Chicago Medicine often work more than 80 hours a week while carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt.
They also want more say in patient care and asked the university to voluntarily recognize their union.
The push comes two months after residents and fellows at Northwestern Medicine took a similar step and three years after those at UIC formed a union.
While not directly responding to the petition, the University of Chicago Medical Center said it’s “deeply committed to training the next generation of doctors” and “immensely values” their residents and fellows.
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