On Thursday February 19, 2009 State Legislators passed a budget that the Governor is expected to sign today, bringing to an end more than three months of political deadlock in Sacramento. UAPD has been actively lobbying to remove doctor layoffs from the budget-balancing equation, and will continue to push the State to rescind the surplus notices that some members of our bargaining unit, along with 10,000 other state workers, have received in recent days. Next week Tuesday and Thursday, UAPD will meet to negotiate with representatives of the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) over rescinding these layoff notices and will notify members via e-mail and the website as soon as news is available.
Also in next weeks’ meetings with the DPA, UAPD will continue to negotiate over the terms of the furlough plan and over our contract as a whole. With the budget in place, there is a greater chance of making progress on these talks in the near future. UAPD remains committed to winning the best possible outcome for represented doctors, both in the furlough talks and in the larger negotiations, and hopes that our perseverance in these matters will be rewarded. As always, the patience and support of the members is appreciated. Look for more news next week, after negotiations on February 24th and February 26th.