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Memorandum of Understanding — State Bargaining Unit 16 (PDF)

Bargaining Unit 16 Reaches New Agreement with State

June 22, 2012

After several meetings, UAPD reached a side-letter agreement with the State of California regarding the 2012-2013 budget. Because the overwhelming majority of UAPD members who participated in the online survey and telephone town hall meeting said they preferred taking some form of personal leave days rather than the 38-hour work week originally proposed by the Governor, UAPD fought to shape the agreement along those lines. Almost every member agreed that the concessions should expire at the end of the budgetary year, and that they should not affect retirement benefits now or in the future. We were able to secure those terms as well. While no one likes making concessions, the team hopes that members will be consoled by the fact that they have taken the least-objectionable form.

In exchange, UAPD has been granted two improvements. The first is a one-year postponement of members’ 0.5% contribution towards retiree health care, which was originally scheduled to start July 1, 2012. The second is a promising new committee charged with resolving the contractor problem that plagues many of the departments where doctors work. Please read on for more details.

UAPD members are invited to participate in a telephone town hall meeting on this topic Wednesday, June 27th, at 7 pm. Further information about the call will be emailed to members who have a current e-mail address on file with UAPD.

Details of the 5% Side Letter Agreement

Update your contact info here.

UAPD Helps Defeat Salary Cap Bill

April 27, 2012

UAPD legislative staff spoke in opposition to SB 1368 (Anderson) before a Senate committee in April. The bill sought to cap the earnings of all State workers at the governor’s salary. UAPD argued that the cap would put the State completely out of step with the job market for doctors, making it impossible for the State to employ doctors and other professionals. After the testimony, the Senate committee voted down the bill 7-6.

You can read more about the bill here.

UAPD is positioning itself for further attacks on State salaries this year. The notion of a salary cap could reemerge in another bill or as part of the budget later in the year. UAPD will continue to monitor the situation in the Capitol closely, and keep UAPD members informed.

State Contract Extended for One Year

April 5, 2012

The Department of Personnel Administration and Governor Jerry Brown have agreed to a one-year extension of the agreement that covers UAPD doctors working for the State of California in Bargaining Unit 16. That agreement now expires on July 1, 2013, and all applicable provisions and established side letters will remain in force until that date. The request was made pursuant to the Ralph C. Dills Act Section 3517 and Article 17 of the current agreement.

UAPD Welcomes New Group

April 5, 2012

The doctors, nurse practitioners and physicians assistants employed by the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics are the latest to join UAPD’s growing clinic sector. The group will begin negotiating its first union contract in the coming months.

CalPERS is Stable and Affordable

January 9, 2012

AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders reminded readers of the San Francisco Chronicle that “the sky is not falling on the California pension system” in an editorial published this week.

Read the full text of Saunder’s editorial, entitled California Pension System Not In Crisis.

Message to State Doctors from UAPD President Dr. Stuart Bussey

December 7, 2011

Dear UAPD Colleague:

As we move towards year’s end, I want to wish you, your family and your friends a peaceful and healthy holiday season. Even with a sputtering economy, we still have much to be grateful for. We make a good living in a free country in a respectable profession. We perform our jobs with dedication, integrity and professionalism. Others in the banking, insurance and political arenas would do well to follow our example.

Nonetheless, times are hard. Read more …

Out of State CME Covered by BU 16 Contract

September 11, 2011

Under the UAPD contract for State BU 16 employees, there is no distinction between out-of-state and in-state CME courses, with both kinds qualifying for “up to seven (7) days per fiscal year of Continuing Medical Education (CME) leave and reasonable travel time” and up to “$1000 for tuition and/or registration fees, cost of course related books, and training materials, transportation or mileage expenses, toll and parking fees, lodging and subsistence expenses” (pro-rated for part-time workers). Unfortunately, many State of California managers are not aware that the current ban on out-of-state trainings does not apply to out of state licensure requirements like CME.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has issued the following letter clarifying that out of state CMEs are indeed covered. Doctors are encouraged to share this letter with their managers in any department, and contact their UAPD labor representative if they have any problems being reimbursed.

BU 16 Out of State CME Grievance Settlement

Furlough Case Takes Disappointing Turn

June 21, 2011

Oon May 16th, UAPD was dismayed to learn that San Francisco’s First District Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision in favor of UAPD on the issue of furloughs.

In a case first filed in 2009, UAPD argued that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had not received proper authorization from the Legislature for furloughing state workers, and that by furloughing workers paid from sources outside of the state’s general fund he had misappropriated federal and special fund monies. At the end of 2009, UAPD received three favorable decisions from Alameda Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch, who called for the immediate end to furloughs of workers paid by federal or special funds and authorized back pay for time already lost. Schwarzenegger filed an injunction to prevent the implementation of Judge Roesch’s ruling and filed several appeals in January of 2010.

Earlier this month, the three San Francisco appeals court justices ruled unanimously in favor of Schwarzenegger, citing a 2010 ruling by the California Supreme Court to say that the Legislature had retroactively authorized furloughs, regardless of funding source, with the budget legislation it passed after the furlough policy was already implemented. UAPD is considering whether to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, in order to challenge the idea that the Legislature has the right, retroactively or not, to redirect federal and special funds.

May Budget Revise and UAPD

June 21, 2011

The California budget affects most UAPD members, not just those employed by the State. County and clinic providers feel the impact of many State funding cuts deeply, and doctors in private practice do as well. With that in mind, the UAPD Legislative Staff, under the leadership of Chief Lobbyist Doug Chiappetta, combs over each budget proposal to determine how it might affect UAPD members. When budget cuts threaten members, UAPD goes into action, making sure decision makers hear why the work our members do is important.

In May Sacramento saw the release of the Assembly Republicans’ budget plan, which the Los Angeles Times characterized as “relying on deep spending cuts for state workers, the mentally ill and the disabled.” The Republican caucus proposed: * State worker layoffs and pay cuts equaling 10% of payroll, plus an additional 10% across the board reduction in department budgets. * Hiring $700 million worth of new contractors. * Transferring prison health care from CDCR to any qualified outside vendor. * Cutting $1.3 billion in payments to the needy, including welfare grants, adult day-care centers, and assistance for the elderly.

Needless to say, UAPD and AFSCME denounced the Republican budget plan and are lobbying hard to secure its defeat. In addition, more than 100 UAPD members responded to a request to contact their local Republican law makers to remind them that State workers deserve fair treatment.

Not surprisingly, Governor Brown’s May Revise takes a much more measured approach to addressing the current deficit, though there are still areas of potential concern for UAPD members. While a plan to increase the DMH budget for safety and security by $9.5 million is no doubt positive, less clear is the potential impact of Brown’s proposal to shift responsibility for the state hospitals to a new state department. UAPD is tracking the issue closely and will report as more is known. Brown is also proposing cost-saving measures for CDCR Medical Services, and aims to cut costs by reducing the size of the inmate population. He also proposes delaying the opening of the Redding and Fresno Veterans Homes. Specific budget bills are now being drafted and proposed by legislators, and UAPD will update members via e-mail and the website as they take shape.

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