For Release – May 12, 2021
Press Contact: Dara Streit
M: 415-914-5616
E: dara@telegraphpr.com
Physicians Demand UC Board of Regents Honor Parental Leave Contract Guarantee
UC San Francisco Resident Physicians Address Contract Violation at Thursday’s UC Board of Regents Meeting
San Francisco– UC San Francisco Resident physicians, represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU) plan to testify at Thursday’s UC Board of Regents meeting after the hospital refused to honor the contractual stipulation guaranteeing four weeks of paid family leave per academic year within 12 months of childbirth.
The violation occurred when Dr. Carmen Kilpatrick, a PGY-2 psychiatry resident, was denied her request to take her contractually guaranteed four weeks of paid parental leave this academic year, and a second paid four weeks in the next academic year. Instead, she was given four weeks by hospital administration after giving birth to twins on April 13, and told that benefit is per lifetime event.
After the blatant violation, the union took to social media in order to bring attention to the issue in coordination with Supervisor Matt Haney. The University responded to Supervisor Haney on Twitter, claiming that its “family-friendly initiatives” include “sick pay, short-term disability, and additional unpaid time off” for bonding with children.
Over 400 hospital staff at UCSF signed the petition to hold the university hospital accountable to their contract, which was ratified on June 6, 2019. Almost 50 Residents took action to call the UCSF Chancellor and CEO, with more organizing their testimony at this week’s Board meeting.
“Four weeks of paid parental leave is far too little, and less than we recommend to our patients as physicians,” said Dr. Peter Cooch, a Fellow in the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF.
UC San Francisco Resident physicians are asking that the Board of Regents hold the UCSF hospital administration accountable and uphold their contractually guaranteed parental leave policy. As frontline physicians during a global healthcare crisis, they have continually risen to the occasion and put their own health in jeopardy to serve their community. UCSF has failed to live up to the “family-friendly” support it claims to provide to its staff with this contract violation.
Background:
May 13, 8:30 AM Board of Regents Meeting – Agenda
The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR) is the largest housestaff union in the United States. A local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing over 17,000 resident physicians and fellows. Our members are dedicated to improving residency training and education, advancing patient care, and expanding healthcare access for our communities.
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