The UAPD Bargaining Team overwhelmingly recommends ratification of this tentative agreement (TA), which makes significant improvements to the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Ratification ballots will be mailed to UAPD members on October 9th, 2012.
Download Full Text of BU 325 Tentative Agreement (PDF)
Tentative Agreement Summary:
1. In-House Dental and Physician Registry: This Agreement launches the In-House Dental and Physician Registry that UAPD has worked closely with the County to design. Full-time and part-time BU 325 doctors can choose to sign up for registry shifts in any of the participating departments. Registry work will be paid on an hourly basis at up to 135% of the doctor’s hourly base wage. In addition to creating an opportunity for bargaining unit doctors to earn more money, this program will decrease the County’s reliance on expensive outside contractors. The TA language, which can be downloaded here, provides more details about the registry. UAPD will work closely with the County to enroll interested doctors in the program once the Agreement has been ratified.
2. Two Additional Sick Leave Days for Psychiatrists at DMH. BU 325 Psychiatrists will now have the same number of sick days as the dentists in the unit.
3. $400,000 Psychiatrist and Dentist Training EHR Fund: BU 325 doctors will assign their federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive payments to the County; unless they can demonstrate that they are using that incentive money in another setting. Physicians and Dentists who are using their EHR incentive money outside of their County position will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. In return a Psychiatrist and Dentist Training EHR Fund has been created to address training related to Health Care Reform issues. The Fund will be administered by a joint labor-management committee comprised of three UAPD members and three selected by management.
4. Continuing Medical Education (CME) Leave Improved: Under the new Agreement, bargaining unit Psychiatrists can use all of their external hours (40) of their annual CME leave to do home study. Until now, only ½ of the leave could be used for home study, and many doctors have been forfeiting unused CME leave at the end of each calendar year. By making 100% of the CME leave available for home study, this Agreement will help more doctors take full advantage of this benefit. Dentists now will not be unreasonably denied approval of CME.
5. Feasibility Study of a 2.75% Bonus for being Double Boarded. UAPD and the County agree to meet within 180 days of Board of Supervisors’ approval of this MOU to discuss the feasibility of creating a 2.75% bonus for providers who have Board Certification in more than one specialty. If it is determined to be feasible, the parties agree to discuss guidelines for implementation during the next negotiations for a successor MOU.
6. Under the new Agreement, the MOU expires on September 30, 2013.
7. Other than the terms described above, the remainder of the MOU remains unchanged.