Temple and Jefferson Resident Physicians Ratify First Union Contracts

PHILADELPHIA — About 2,200 resident physicians and fellows at Temple University Health System and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals ratified their first union contracts this summer, cementing Philadelphia as one of the most unionized cities in the country for doctors in training.

The Jefferson agreement was ratified June 1 and the Temple agreement followed, with 100 percent of participating members at both systems voting to approve, according to the Committee of Interns and Residents, the SEIU affiliate that represents them.

The contracts cover physicians providing direct patient care at more than 20 hospitals and medical facilities across greater Philadelphia. The union said they include substantial wage increases and greater investment in resident education.

The deals also address pay gaps inside the systems. The Jefferson contract brings Einstein Hospital residents to the same salaries as their peers at other Jefferson hospitals, while the Temple agreement moves Chestnut Hill Hospital residents to near pay parity with Temple Main and Fox Chase counterparts by its second year.

“As physicians, we spend every day advocating for our patients to have the resources and support they need, and many of us are living paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Dr. Linda Li, a resident at Temple Northwest Family Medicine at Chestnut Hill Hospital. “Daycare alone took up about 60 percent of my salary.”

The ratifications grew out of a joint unionization campaign launched in November 2024 across CHOP, Jefferson, Temple and Einstein. Residents at CHOP voted against unionizing that December, while Einstein and Delaware’s ChristianaCare voted to unionize in January 2025 but have not yet ratified contracts.

About 1,400 Penn Medicine residents ratified Pennsylvania’s first resident-physician contract in September 2024. With Temple and Jefferson on board, roughly 86 percent of resident physicians in the Philadelphia area are now covered by union agreements.