# Rhode Island Hospital Resident Physicians Ratify First Union Contract With 12% Base Pay Increase > Almost 700 resident physicians and fellows at Rhode Island Hospital ratified a first union contract with a 12% base pay increase, running through June 30. - Published: 2026-10-20T22:09:58+00:00 - Section: Business - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-20/rhode-island-hospital-residents-union-contract - Source: [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/rhode-island-hospital-resident-physicians-214654499.html) ## Key takeaways - Almost 700 resident physicians and fellows at Rhode Island Hospital ratified their first union contract, approved by 95% of participating voters. - The agreement includes a 12% base pay increase, lower health insurance premiums and a 401(k) employer match of up to 6%. - The contract runs through June 30, 2029, according to hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan. - Residents at Women & Infants, Butler and Kent hospitals also unionized with CIR/SEIU in 2025, and those contract campaigns are still underway. Almost 700 resident physicians and fellows at [Rhode Island Hospital](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0002azr/rhode-island-hospital) ratified their first union contract, the [Committee of Interns and Residents](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0007itd/committee-of-interns-and-residents) (CIR/SEIU) announced on October 20, 2026. The agreement was approved by 95% of physicians who participated in the vote, according to the union, and includes a 12% increase in base pay. [Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/rhode-island-hospital-resident-physicians-214654499.html) reported the ratification, which follows months of negotiations at Rhode Island's largest hospital in Providence. ## What the Rhode Island Hospital Contract Includes The contract covers pay increases, better retirement benefits and other improvements for early career doctors at the flagship facility of Brown University Health, according to the union. Alongside the 12% base pay increase, the agreement outlines lower health insurance premiums, more workplace accommodations for lactating mothers and a 401(k) employer match of up to 6%. Rhode Island Hospital spokesperson Kelly Brennan confirmed the contract runs through June 30, 2029, and called the agreement "the result of productive discussions and the dedication of both negotiating teams." "We are grateful to our residents and fellows for their ongoing commitment to patient care and are proud to move forward together in support of our mission to deliver high-quality care, advance medical education, and serve our community," Brennan wrote over email. Dr. Samantha Palacios, a second-year emergency medicine resident at Rhode Island Hospital, said in a phone interview that she was grateful the negotiations did not escalate to a strike. "I think overall the sentiment from everybody is just excitement that this fight, at least for the time being, is over," Palacios said. The organizing and bargaining process began in 2024, when the doctors now represented by CIR/SEIU first shared plans to unionize. They formally joined the union after a union election in January 2025, becoming the first resident physician group in the state to do so. More than 100 unionized resident physicians rallied outside the hospital on June 5, and the union picketed on October 2 after rejecting hospital management's then-latest offer. ## Rhode Island Hospital's Scale and Research Role Rhode Island Hospital is the state's largest hospital and its only Level I Trauma Center, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), operating as a nonprofit academic medical center within Brown University Health and the principal teaching hospital of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. The same records list a total workforce of 20,000 at the Brown University Health system and more than 2,500 Teamsters Local 251 members at Rhode Island Hospital. ## Earlier Events at Rhode Island Hospital Brown University Health submitted a $24.1 million application in June 2026 to demolish four buildings on the Rhode Island Hospital campus, clearing space for a new diagnostic and treatment platform building, American City Business Journals reported. In May 2026, the ACLU of Rhode Island and the Lawyers' Committee for Rhode Island filed an emergency motion to block a U.S. Department of Justice subpoena seeking private medical records of minor patients who received gender dysphoria treatment at the hospital, Providence Business News reported. ## What Comes Next for Rhode Island Hospital Residents Residents at Women & Infants, Butler and Kent hospitals also unionized with CIR/SEIU in 2025, and those contract campaigns are still underway, according to the union. Palacios said the Rhode Island Hospital residents can now assist those efforts. "We're grateful that we can now turn our efforts toward getting their contracts ratified as well," she said. ## Companies in this story - [Rhode Island Hospital company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0002azr/rhode-island-hospital) · website: http://www.rhodeislandhospital.org - [Committee of Interns and Residents company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0007itd/committee-of-interns-and-residents) · website: https://www.cirseiu.org --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt