Committee of Interns and Residents

What Committee of Interns and Residents does

The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR), a local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) since 1997, is a 501(c)-style labor union founded in 1957 that represents more than 40,000 interns, residents, and fellows across 70+ hospitals and academic medical centers in 15 states plus Washington, D.C. Its core function is collective bargaining on behalf of physician trainees for wages, benefits, working conditions, parental leave, fertility coverage, immigration protections, and patient safety standards, delivered through a member-led delegate structure, regional organizing staff, and elected leadership. CIR also provides member benefit services including CIR Legal Services (CIRLS), portable disability insurance, immigration legal consultations, discounted contract review, vision/dental plans, and reproductive justice grants, alongside advocacy programs on immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and diversity/inclusion.

The organization's underlying operating model is worksite-driven organizing rather than a software or technology platform; CIR distributes representation through direct hospital campaigns, a national delegate network, regional offices in Long Island City (HQ), Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Burlington, and affiliate infrastructure from SEIU's 2-million-member base. Revenue is generated almost entirely through recurring membership dues, with no publicly disclosed pricing for representation services since these are bundled into union membership. Member-side pricing signals include ancillary fees such as a $500 contract review (or $300 for HSBP/VHHSBP members) and a $179 Rivetti student loan consultation in Southern California. CIR does not offer a technology product, API, or proprietary software platform.

CIR has a defined regulatory and legal footprint: it holds the landmark 1999 Boston Medical Center NLRB decision that guaranteed residents in private teaching hospitals the right to unionize, and it has been an active plaintiff in federal litigation challenging H-1B fee and immigration policies in 2025-2026. Recent strategic activity includes the March 2025 opening of Minnesota through the University of Minnesota and Hennepin Healthcare, the launch of a Reproductive Justice Program, and expanded Immigrant Rights services in response to changing federal enforcement conditions.

Name

Committee of Interns and Residents

Legal name

Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare

Website

https://cirseiu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is a physician trainee labor union and SEIU local founded in 1957, representing more than 40,000 interns, residents, and fellows at 70+ hospitals across 15 states plus Washington, D.C., through collective bargaining, legal services, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Workforce Union Representation

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO)

Keywords

• Physician labor union
• Resident collective bargaining
• Medical trainee advocacy
• Union legal services
• Member benefit plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: CIR operates as a union local of SEIU. Revenue is generated through membership dues paid by resident physicians and fellows. Dues support collective bargaining representation, legal services, advocacy, organizing staff, and member benefits programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Committee of Interns and Residents is a labor union representing more than 40,000 interns, residents, and fellow physicians (housestaff) at U.S. teaching hospitals. Its primary products are collective bargaining representation, workplace advocacy, and member benefits services including legal services (CIRLS), immigration legal support, discounted contract review, portable disability insurance, and access to SEIU member discounts. CIR also operates advocacy programs covering immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and diversity/anti-racism initiatives for its members.

Product overview

Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is a labor union, not a technology product company. CIR operates as a member-run union providing collective bargaining representation, workplace advocacy, and member benefits services. The organization's 'products' consist of union representation services including collective bargaining agreements, legal services (CIRLS) for immigration and employment matters, member benefit programs (disability insurance, contract review, legal discounts), and advocacy initiatives focused on immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and diversity/inclusion. These services function through member organizing, delegate structures, and political education programs rather than a software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Bargaining Representation Core union service providing collective bargaining representation for wages, benefits, working conditions, and workplace safety to interns, residents, and fellows at U.S. teaching hospitals.
• CIR Legal Services (CIRLS) Prepaid legal services covering immigration, landlord/tenant, family, consumer, bankruptcy, debt, wills, estates, medical licensure, name changes, criminal matters, and document review for eligible CIR members.
• Member Discounted Contract Review Discounted post-residency employment contract review service offered through participating attorneys at reduced rates ($500 standard; $300 for HSBP/VHHSBP members).
• Immigration Legal Benefit Free immigration consultation with cooperating immigration attorneys plus 20% discount on attorney fees for retained matters, available to all CIR members.
• Portable Disability Insurance Portable disability income protection of $15,000/month for all PGY levels ($5,000/month for previously declined members) plus optional $2,500/month student loan protection rider for HSBP/VHHSBP members.
• SEIU Member Discounts Discount program through SEIU covering electronics, food and dining, home and auto, travel, financial services, and insurance for CIR members.

Quantifiable outcome

• CIR won the first collective bargaining agreement for housestaff in the U.S. in 1958, setting a precedent for all housestaff unions.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997CIR has been a local of SEIU since May 1997. SEIU represents over 2 million workers including over 1 million healthcare workers. This affiliation has increased CIR's strength wherever it represents housestaff, providing access to SEIU's organizing infrastructure, political capital, legal resources, and coalition networks.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD): AFL-CIO-affiliated union representing licensed physicians and dentists, including residents, with a comparable collective bargaining and advocacy model targeted at healthcare professionals.
• Doctors Council SEIU: Another SEIU-affiliated union of attending physicians and medical professionals, comparable to CIR in mission (physician collective bargaining), SEIU parent affiliation, and worksite organizing model.

Emerging players

• 1199SEIU: Large SEIU local representing healthcare workers in the U.S. Northeast, sharing SEIU affiliation with CIR and an overlapping hospital footprint in NYC and major metropolitan teaching institutions.
• National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW): An independent healthcare union representing hospital and clinic workers, comparable to CIR's worksite organizing model but with a different parent affiliation and broader healthcare worker base.

Broad incumbents

• National Nurses United (NNU): The largest U.S. union of registered nurses, sharing CIR's healthcare-worker organizing focus, advocacy model, and worksite-based collective bargaining, though NNU focuses on RNs rather than physicians-in-training.
• AFL-CIO: National federation of U.S. labor unions; relevant as the broader umbrella under which many healthcare-worker unions (including UAPD) affiliate, mirroring CIR's positioning within SEIU and the larger labor movement.
• SEIU Healthcare: CIR's parent division within SEIU, representing over 1 million healthcare workers; the most direct parent/peer entity with shared infrastructure, political programs, and member-benefit services.
• American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Healthcare Division: Represents nurses and other healthcare workers alongside educators; overlaps with CIR in healthcare collective bargaining, political advocacy, and worksite organizing.

Regional players

• California Nurses Association (CNA/NNU): California-based nurses union and NNU affiliate with strong West Coast organizing presence; comparable to CIR's California operations and broader healthcare labor advocacy in the same geographies.

Others

• American Medical Association (AMA): Largest U.S. professional association for physicians and medical students; comparable to CIR as a national physician membership organization, though AMA is a professional association rather than a collective bargaining union.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cirseiu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/cirSEIU
• Facebookfacebook.com/CIRSEIU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/committee-of-interns-and-residents-seiu-healthcare
• Instagraminstagram.com/cirseiu
• TikToktiktok.com/@cirseiu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Committee of Interns and Residents