During the COVID-19 pandemic, UAPD has held member meetings via zoom and teleconference. One current issue the union is addressing is how the administration urging patients to sign up for direct messaging with their providers, which will require more physician time. UAPD will meet with administration on this matter.
UAPD challenged the cost of contract psychiatrists vs Civil Service to SBC during the last negotiations. During the next round of negotiations we plan to ween the County off of its use of contractors. As part of that effort, UAPD proposed various solutions for recruitment and retention of civil service psychiatrists, including hiring and loan repayment incentives, elimination of weekend call, creating weekend positions. UAPD and human resources have agreed to add the 5% “productivity bonus” into the regular salaries of psychiatrists. As pay and conditions have improved, several psychiatrists who had been working as contractors with the County have recognized that it would be better to be a regular employee. UAPD has several new psychiatrists and public health physicians hired into civil service in both southern and north Santa Barbara County.
UAPD successfully negotiated a salary increase for our Forensic Pathology positions. Their earnings will increase by almost 25% by the end of the current MOU in November 2022. This too was a great incentive for other doctors and psychiatrists who had been working as contractors to take County civil service positions and become members of the UAPD bargaining unit.