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Doctors Council Achieve 3-year, 10.6% Increase for 350 Doctors at Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals

New York, NY: Doctors Council, the union representing attending physicians at public medical institutions in the New York Metropolitan Area, announced the ratification of two separate but nearly identical contracts with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a medical affiliate of the Health and Hospitals Corporation, which employs approximately 220 doctors at Elmhurst Hospital and 130 doctors at Queens Hospital.  The contract provides a 3% retroactive increase to July 1, 2006, 3% on July 1, 2007 and 4.25% on July 1, 2008 for a compounded total of 10.6% over three years.

The contracts with Mount Sinai include the first that Doctors Council has negotiated on behalf of Elmhurst Hospital doctors since that hospital affiliated with the union in January 2005. It is the second contract that the union has negotiated on behalf of Queens Hospital doctors, which joined the union in late 2002.  Elmhurst and Queens Hospitals comprise HHC’s Queens Health Network.  More than 90% of the doctors at both hospitals signed the petition in support of their bargaining goals, reflecting a very high level of union member participation.

“The effort to secure these two contracts was a culmination of hard work, hard bargaining and unwavering solidarity among union members throughout our Queens facilities,” said Barry Liebowitz, M.D., President of Doctors Council.  “Doctors at two separate hospitals on opposite ends of the borough came together in one bargaining process with one voice and one goal – to protect a high level of health care at Queens’ two public hospitals. We believe we accomplished just that.”

  Additional highlights of both contracts (unless otherwise noted) include:

• A new minimum annual salary of $125,000 for every newly hired or incumbent doctor effective July 1, 2006.
  
  
• 15% increases in the first year for doctors in the Department of Surgery which will aid in recruitment and retention.
  
  
• 25% increase in “sessional” or overtime pay, retroactive to July 1, 2006, which sets a new minimum sessional hourly rate of $75 per hour – up from $60.
  
  
• New weekend differential of $400 per weekend day after 4 weekend days per year in the Departments of Medicine, Ambulatory Care and Pediatrics, as well as one day off with pay for each month of service coverage. This is new for Queens and already exists at Elmhurst.
  
  
• Improved Continuing Medical Education compensation including:
  • 2 new additional paid days off for board certification exam preparation on top of the existing 10 paid days off for CME
  • Guaranteed new minimum CME reimbursable expenses which is  $1,750 per year in the first year, increasing to $2,000 per year in the third year of the contract
  • Expanded definition of reimbursable expenses including professional association dues, periodicals, online courses, etc…
    
    
• Increase in paid vacation days at Queens Hospital, including one additional per year after 5 years of service; 3 more after 10 years of service; 4 more after 15 years of service and a full week’s paid vacation after 25 years of service. This brings Queens Hospital doctors to the existing vacation day level of doctor at Elmhurst.
   
  
• New Patient Care Committees providing doctors more opportunities to discuss patient care issues with the administration, identify problems and recommend improvements.
  
  
• New Labor Management Committees to discuss and address doctors’ issues with management including maintaining work conditions and work loads.
  
  
• Important hard-fought contract language that ensure worker protection and maximizes union representation at meetings and various other forums.

Founded in 1973, Doctors Council is the nation’s oldest and largest union of attending physicians, representingmore than 3,000 doctors based largely at New York City’s municipal hospitals, clinics and agencies including most HHC facilities.It is currently among the city’s fastest growing unions, having organized doctors at 11 medical facilities in the last 5 years.In 1999, Doctors Council affiliated with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).  As part of that affiliation, Doctors Council partnered with the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) and formed the National Doctors Alliance (NDA) which represents over 17,000 doctors nationwide.

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