HHC Doctors' Contract Has 9.42% Raise

By RICHARD STEIER

Members of the Doctors Council employed by the Health and Hospitals Corporation Dec. 6 overwhelmingly ratified a contract that will provide them with 9.42 percent in wage hikes over 32-1/2 months and increase longevity bonuses and HHC payments to members' annuity funds.

BARRY LIEBOWITZ: HHC deal a popular one.

The deal's terms are consistent with the agreement reached by the Bloomberg administration with District Council 37 in July. In a carryover from the previous contract that parallels a feature of an earlier DC 37 deal, it will provide an additional 1.3-percent raise linked to improved productivity that is retroactive to July 1, 2004.

'Helps Recruit, Retain'

"This contract meets the unique recruitment and retention needs for doctors at New York City's public hospitals and cities," Doctors Council President Barry Liebowitz said in a statement.

The pact begins July 1, 2005, with the 1,250 HHC Attending Physicians and other medical personnel employed by HHC getting a 3.25-percent raise retroactive to that date. The .10-percent raise beyond what DC 37 members got for a similar period of that deal is offset by the Doctors Council pact running an additional 14 days, with an expiration date of March 14, 2008.

In between, union members will receive a 2-percent wage increase retroactive to Aug. 13 of this year, and a 4-percent hike as of Feb. 13, 2007. Those are the identical hikes negotiated by DC 37.

Fringe-benefit improvements include increases of between $99 and $397 annually - based on both years of service and the particular title - in annual longevity payments. Those in the titles of Attending Physician II, for example, would have the five-year differential increase from $2,250 to $2,349 annually by the end of the contract, their 10-year differential would improve from $4,750 to $4,960, and their 15-year payment would go from $7,500 to $7,831.

Other Gains

An Attending Physician III would get an annual payment of $2,871 after five years, compared to the old standard of $2,750, and his or her 10-year bonus would rise from $5,750 to $6,004, with the 15-year differential going from $9,000 to $9,397. In a slight variation on the DC 37 deal, but at the same cost, on the final day of the contract HHC will increase all the longevity differentials by the equivalent of .34 percent of payroll for the entire bargaining unit.

An increase in HHC's contribution to members' annuity funds, which the union estimates will be about $100-per-year more for full-time staff, will take effect retroactive to July 13, 2006, with a lump-sum payment into the fund to be implemented retroactive to Nov. 12.

The contract also provides for doctors to be given greater input on patient-care issues through an expansion of the labor-management patient-care committee.