More than 200 people assembled at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco the first weekend in November for a very special Triennial Convention, marking the 40th anniversary of UAPD. The weekend opened with a four-credit CME on addiction that was well-received by UAPD members. Separate statewide meetings for each sector (State, County and Clinic, Private Practice, CSU, and Retirees) provided a forum for members to share news and discuss strategies for handling joint concerns. During Friday night’s cocktail party, the Swinging Blue Stars of the U.S.S. Hornet serenaded guests in the Starlight Room amidst panoramic views of the city.
On Saturday morning the Triennial Convention opened with the Star Spangled Banner, followed by the State of the Union address from UAPD President Dr. Stuart A. Bussey. Staff members and board members gave further status reports. In honor of the union’s 40th anniversary, Mrs. Hannah Marcus, widow of UAPD founder Dr. Sanford A. Marcus, paid a visit along with her family, and helped cut the birthday cake. During the afternoon convention delegates approved two resolutions, one to fight the cap on pensionable salary set by AB 340, and a second to broaden online access to medical library materials. After careful discussion, delegates also approved a handful of changes to the UAPD Constitution, including a clarification of the method of proposing constitutional changes, a new requirement that nominees for the UAPD Executive Board disclose prior criminal convictions to the nominating committee, and an adjustment in language to reflect the fact that a small number of UAPD members are not doctors.
UAPD members also heard from a distinguished group of elected leaders that weekend, including Assembly Members Richard Pan and Fiona Ma, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Mark Leno, and AFSCME Vice Presidents Johanna Hester, Kathryn Lybarger, Doug Moore, and Ralph Miller. All who attended will surely agree with Dr. Bussey’s opening words, “Life begins at 40!”.