JERSEY CITY, NJ —
July 08, 2026 |
By DailyHudson Staff
94% of voting residents approved the deal, citing better pay and working conditions.
Dr. Maria Santos, a second-year resident in internal medicine, used to pack her lunch in the dark. Not because she had to, but because the cafeteria at Jersey City Medical Center is expensive, and after a 14-hour shift, the last thing she wanted to do was worry about money. For nearly a year, she and more than 200 other resident physicians and fellows stood in front of the hospital every Tuesday, rain or shine, asking for a contract that let them focus on patients instead of their rent.
This week, they got one.
The deal
On Tuesday, resident doctors represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a local of the Service Employees International Union, announced their new four-year contract with RWJ Barnabas Health. In a vote, 94% of doctors who cast ballots said yes.
The contract covers 243 residents and fellows at Jersey City Medical Center. It includes raises of 18% over four years, plus annual step increases — meaning these doctors will earn more in each year of their training. The deal also caps overnight call shifts at 14 hours, gives the doctors more say in how their schedules are built, and adds money for continuing education.
For a resident working the standard 80-hour week — the legal maximum — this translates into real dollars. A first-year resident, who currently earns around $65,000, could see their salary approach $77,000 by the end of the contract.
How we got here
These doctors have been negotiating since early 2023. When talks stalled, they took action. They marched in front of the hospital. They held informational pickets. They wore red union buttons under their white coats. Patients asked what was happening, and the doctors explained — we want to stay, we want to care for you, but we need to be able to afford to live here.
Jersey City, like much of Hudson County, has seen rents climb. The median one-bedroom apartment goes for over $2,300. For doctors earning less than $70,000 a year, living within a short commute of the hospital was a stretch.
The hospital administration, meanwhile, had to balance the doctors’ demands with the financial realities of running a safety-net hospital that serves a population where many patients rely on Medicare or Medicaid. It was no small ask.
What it means for Hudson County
For patients, this contract is likely to mean more experienced doctors staying at JCMC longer. When residents are overworked or underpaid, they tend to leave for hospitals in wealthier suburbs. A stable, satisfied workforce means continuity — the same doctor who treated your grandmother’s hypertension last year will still be there next year.
“When I’m not worried about my student loans, I can focus on the patient in front of me,” Dr. Santos said. “And that patient deserves a doctor who isn’t running on fumes and frustration.”
The contract also includes language around diversity and inclusion. One provision requires the hospital to track data on which residents are promoted to chief resident, to ensure no group is held back. For a city as diverse as Jersey City — where over 40% of residents were born outside the U.S. — this matters.
What people are saying
Dr. Adriel Afable, a third-year resident in pediatrics and one of the union leaders, described the deal as “a contract that values us as professionals and as people.” He credited the community for showing up during the long fight. “We had nurses, patients, even some of the hospital’s own cafeteria workers come out to support us,” he said. “That meant the world.”
RWJ Barnabas Health did not respond to a request for comment by publication time, but in a statement released after the vote, a spokesperson called the contract “mutually agreeable” and said the hospital was “pleased to have reached an agreement that supports our residents and patients.”
Some observers noted that the deal mirrors recent contracts at other unionized residency programs in New Jersey, including at Rutgers University and Cooper University Hospital. For CIR, which represents over 30,000 residents nationally, these victories build momentum.
What happens next
The contract takes effect July 1 and runs through June 2027. Both sides have agreed to meet quarterly to address any issues that arise — a provision the union pushed for to avoid the kind of stalemate that dragged the initial talks into a second year.
For Dr. Santos, who still has two more years of residency, the fight paid off. She’ll keep packing her lunch some days, but now, she said, it’s choice, not necessity.
Source: Jersey City Times
