In a statement shared with Becker’s after the vote, Jefferson said it “respect[s] the decision of our residents and fellows to vote in favor of unionization. We remain committed to maintaining an environment of exceptional medical training, open communication, and collaboration to ensure the success and well-being of our residents as we deliver outstanding patient care.”
The election at Einstein comes amid an increasing number of unionization efforts across the Northeast. In 2024, resident physicians at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Temple University Hospital, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals launched unionization efforts.
In December, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia residents voted against unionizing, while Temple and Jefferson residents are expected to vote in the coming weeks, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Outside Philadelphia, attending physicians at Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare joined the Doctors Council, an SEIU affiliate, in 2024. This month, resident physicians and fellows at Providence-based Rhode Island Hospital, part of Brown University Health, voted to unionize.
Grace Cho, MD, a psychiatry resident at Einstein, said residents and fellows will now work to secure a “fair contract,” according to PhillyVoice, citing a union news release.
“This was a hard-fought campaign, and we did it,” she said, according to PhillyVoice. “After months of organizing, we can finally celebrate our win. This is the first step in securing what we need to make residency and fellowship in Philadelphia the very best it can be for us, our families and our patients.”
Einstein merged with Jefferson in 2021, creating an 18-hospital integrated system.