Advocating For Our Members
Up to 29% Wage Increases, Nearly $50,000 in Annual Increases and Increased Session Payments for Surgery Department Doctors Council SEIU Members in Settlement with Columbia University at Harlem Hospital
Doctors Council SEIU members achieved a major gain in late May. For our members in the Department of Surgery at Harlem Hospital, we successfully settled a grievance and arbitration. As a result, new minimum annual salaries will be implemented with some doctors receiving up to a 29% wage increase and a nearly $50,000 increase. In addition, increased sessional payments will result in doctors being compensated for work such as being in-house for call or returning to the hospital. There was also a 60% increase in the monthly differential for Intensivists.
Dr. Monquidh Al-Sawwaf, pictured to the right, notes that “We worked together with our union on this issue. It was important for us as doctors to get the respect we were looking for. The new minimum salaries will help the hospital recruit and retain doctors. The new rates for session payments will lead to more call coverage and in-house coverage and this is good for our patients and patient care.”
Up to 15% Wage Increases and Over $22,000 in Increased Salaries for Doctors Council SEIU Members in Certain Psychiatric Services at Kings County Hospital
Doctors Council SEIU members in the Department of Psychiatry who are full-time and part-time per annum physicians assigned to the Kings County Hospital Center Adult Inpatient Services, Child & Adolescent Inpatient Services and Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) received raises earlier this year. Effective February 1st, each doctor was raised to a new annual salary, with increases ranging from over 4.5% to nearly 15% and over $22,000 in increases. These doctors received a 4% increase in March 2008 and another 4% increase in March 2009. Along with the February 2009 increases, these doctors received from 13% to over 24% in compounded salary increases in a one-year period. This is in addition to the increased session rates the doctors have been receiving since last year.“The increased salaries along with the higher session rates enable us to have the ability to keep staff from leaving and to bring new doctors into our services. With more doctors we can provide better patient care” notes Dr. Mian Siddique, pictured left.
Any Layoffs Delayed 90 days for HHC and NYC Mayoral Agencies Doctors Council SEIU Members
Dr. Barry Liebowitz, President, Doctors Council SEIU, (near left) with Mayor Bloomberg at podium, Commissioner James Hanley of the Mayor’s Office of Labor Relations (left of Mayor) and other MLC leaders at press conference in June announcing agreement to defer layoffs
Doctors Council SEIU is part of the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC), which is the coordinating group for public sector unions in New York City. Our President, Dr. Liebowitz, is a Vice President of the MLC. In June, the MLC was able to reach agreement with New York City delaying layoffs by 90 days. As a result of this agreement, any layoffs of our members employed directly by the New York City Health & Hospital Corporation (HHC) or the Mayoral Agencies, including the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), is delayed by 90 days. “It is our hope that during this time we can find a way to avoid any layoffs” states Dr. Liebowitz. “We need all of our workforce to provide the services our communities need and expect, especially in healthcare. We will continue working with the MLC to try to avoid any layoffs.”