The vote was 425-11 in favor of joining the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board. NLRB representatives determined about 650 employees were eligible to vote, including residents and fellows working at Temple University Hospital—Main Campus, Temple University Hospital—Episcopal Campus, and Temple University Hospital—Jeanes Campus.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, Temple Health, the hospital’s parent organization, said, “We have a long and extensive history working with many different unions. We are committed to working with CIR within our ability to maintain financial stability to provide our patients and community with the high-quality care that they expect and deserve today and in the years ahead.”
Resident physicians and fellows at Temple follow their colleagues at Einstein Healthcare Network, part of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, who also voted to join CIR-SEIU.
Sarah Bart, MD, a Temple resident, praised the unionization vote.
“It’s time to put patients back at the center of our healthcare system,” she wrote in a CIR statement, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We won our union, now we are preparing our campaign for a fair contract that puts resources in patient care and supports physicians’ and patients’ well-being.”
Temple residents based at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Chestnut Hill Hospital are also slated to vote on whether to unionize, according to the publication.
