Members of the Committee of Interns and Residents, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, reached a tentative agreement July 15 with the University of California covering approximately 6,400 interns, residents and fellows across the UC Health system.
The statewide agreement replaces eight separate location-based contracts with a single systemwide contract — making it the first systemwide contract for UC resident physicians and fellows, according to CIR/SEIU. Negotiations began August 2025.
According to the union, the tentative agreement includes an 18% salary increase, preservation of fertility benefits, improved access to radiation exposure equipment, immigrant patient protections and improvements to address emergency room capacity.
“We appreciate the work of both bargaining teams to reach this tentative agreement,” Missy Matella, associate vice president for systemwide employee and labor relations at the University of California, said in a news release. “It supports UC’s continued commitment to these valuable employees and to medical education, clinical training and high-quality patient care.”
“We are very happy with what we were able to negotiate for our futures, including the wage increases, better access to properly fitting lead, and enshrining our fertility benefits in this contract,” Diana Dayal, MD, a UCLA emergency medicine resident, said in a CIR/SEIU release.
The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by CIR/SEIU members, with a vote expected in the coming weeks. The University of California system includes medical centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Davis, Irvine, Riverside and San Diego.
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