Los Angeles County Physicians (324) are at the table this month. One of the ways that an employer gauges the strength of a union during bargaining is by its membership rate — the percentage of people who have chosen to sign an application to become full members rather than remain fair share fee payers. Over the next few weeks, UAPD staff will be working across Los Angeles County to maximize our level of membership. LA County members are asked to give organizers a hand locating the non-members, and to speak to their colleagues about the importance of being a UAPD member. The contract we’re negotiating covers everyone — and the more people who become members, the better that contract will be.
Bargaining Update for Physicians (BU 324)
UAPD is currently in negotiations with Los Angeles County over the next contract for Physicians (BU 324). Priorities include making permanent the Primary Care/Internal Medicine pay increases that were granted under the “Manpower Shortage” policy, fixing shortfalls in specialty pay scales, gaining recognition for unrecognized specialties, and addressing pay equity more generally.
The UAPD team will also negotiate over professional fee billings. Some of our members have received additional income from private practice billings. DHS is putting an end to this practice, and they are planning to reclaim these monies. We will be negotiating with DHS over the issue, proposing that the money continue to be used to improve compensation for doctors.
UAPD has placed several non-economic proposals on the table as well. For instance, we have proposed stronger language to protect physicians from liability during the implementation and use of the e-Consult system. We have also proposed ways to improve access to the In-House Physician Registry. We also will propose a pathway for outside contract physicians to become permanent employees, if they choose to.
All members will be taken into account in the negotiations. Countywide, vacant funded positions total almost 300 Physicians, which includes DHS, DPH, Coroners and Sheriffs. We have emphasized that doctors from every department, specialists and primary care physicians alike, are critical to the County’s health care mission. We must work together to ensure the best contract for all of us.
The BU 324 Bargaining Team is:
- Dr. L. Nelson (Public Health)
- Dr. Rex Cheng (UCLA/Harbor)
- Dr. Ron Shepperson (MLK/MACC)
- Dr. Ron Zodkevitch (LAC/USC)
- Dr. Pedro Ortiz (Coroners)
- Dr. Sahid Khan (High Desert)
- Dr. Manuel Natividad (Sheriffs)
- Dr. Jason Soss (Olive View)
Any questions or comments can be sent to Chief Negotiator Lux Irvin (lirvin@uapd.com) or Labor Representative Jake Baxter (jbaxter@uapd.com).