In San Francisco, the UAPD Bargaining Team emerged from two days of binding arbitration with a terrific new contract for City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) doctors. The Agreement was ratified by UAPD members then approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at the end of June.
During negotiations, UAPD discovered that some CCSF doctors were earning less than some Nurse Practitioners employed by the county. UAPD relied on testimony from expert witnesses including a labor economist to make the case that the County could and should correct the pay imbalance between doctors and the mid-levels they sometimes supervise. The arbitrator was persuaded by UAPD’s arguments, and the final agreement included significant pay increases for doctors. Three new steps were added to the doctor scale, and by the end of the three year contract all doctors will make at least 10% more than a midlevel at the same salary step. The new salary schedule took effect on July 1.
The Agreement contains other improvements as well. Standby pay was increased from $9 to $15 per hour. Six previously unpaid holidays and unpaid employee development (aka CME) days were restored with pay. Doctors will once again have access to Employee Development and License Reimbursement funds.