Dr. Barry Liebowitz Re-Elected President of
Doctors Council SEIU

Dr. Liebowitz to Enter 30th Year as President, Among the Longest Tenures of Any Union President in NYC

New York, NY: Barry Liebowitz, M.D., who has served as president of Doctors Council SEIU since 1980, making him one of New York City’s longest serving union presidents, was re-elected last night.  The vote was unanimous.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have been re-elected president of this outstanding union which has made vast strides in improving patient care and protecting doctors’ rights throughout the City of New York and the country,” said Dr. Liebowitz.  “Our union is more energized, more united, and in more facilities than ever before.  And while every year, we face new challenges - especially in these trying economic times - every year we work together to find workable solutions.  Whether its organizing a new unit, such as Coney Island Hospital which we did just last week, or fighting for our patients in underserved communities, which we do every day, Doctors Council SEIU is committed to our membership, our patients and the communities we serve, and I am committed to continuing that mission as president.”

Over the previous term as Dr. Liebowitz, Doctors Council SEIU expanded its membership throughout the country including nearly 500 employed by the Cook County Health and Hospital System; negotiated numerous contracts at HHC hospitals in New York City; organized a relief mission to Haiti following the devastating earthquake in early 2010; and rallied to preserve public healthcare funding. In the last 8 years, Doctors Council has organized doctors at 16 medical facilities in New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Prior to his tenure at Doctors Council SEIU, Dr. Barry Liebowitz served over 14 years at Kings County Hospital and Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn as Chief of Clinical Toxicology Service in Pediatrics, as Assistant Director of Pediatric Ambulatory Care Service and as Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics.  He is the co-founder of the Los Angeles Free Clinic in California, which, established in 1967, is the oldest continuously operating free clinic in the nation. Dr. Liebowitz earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of California at Irvine and his Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University.  Dr. Liebowitz is also Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at New York University and a Physician Specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center.

Founded in 1973, Doctors Council SEIU is the nation’s oldest and largest union of attending physicians and dentists, representing thousands of doctors, including doctors in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania.  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.  For more information, visit www.doctorscouncil.com.