Members of the Physicians' and Dentists' Organization of Contra Costa have reached a new contract with county management, avoiding a potential strike, according to a March 27 union news release shared with Becker's.
The union represents more than 240 physicians in Contra Costa County's public health system, according to the release. The county's public health system includes Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, Calif., as well as health centers and clinics.
Ninety percent of voting union members supported the new agreement, which was approved by the county board of supervisors March 21, according to the release.
PDOCC said the contract avoids a strike and enhances the time members have to manage their panels of patients. The union also said the contract makes the compensation package more competitive in the Bay Area market.
"Our new contract advances our goal of improving the ability of Contra Costa County to recruit and retain top medical and dental talent to best serve our communities," PDOCC President David MacDonald, MD, said in a statement. "We will continue advocating for the patient care issues we called attention to in our negotiations, but we are optimistic about our progress and path forward."
The county shared the following statement with Becker's: "As a top performing health system and the primary safety-net provider for Contra Costa County, we have always made it a priority to support patient services by recruiting top notch mission-driven providers who are committed to our community. We are pleased that we were able to work out a deal with our doctors and dentists to help us in our collective goal to provide the best care possible to the patients we serve."