FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

‍

Doctors Council - SEIU

Contact: JoyLynn Keeton, JLKeeton@doctorscouncil.org 917-572-2773

‍

DELAWARE — Physicians represented by Doctors Council, SEIU at ChristianaCare have voted to ratify their first union contract by 97%, marking a historic milestone for more than 500 doctors who provide care throughout the Delaware Valley.

‍

The three-year agreement is the first union contract for healthcare workers in Delaware and comes two years after ChristianaCare physicians began organizing to strengthen their voice in decisions affecting patient care and the practice of medicine.

‍

Physicians at ChristianaCare who once practiced in independent settings, exercising full clinical judgment in patient care, have increasingly been absorbed into larger health system structures where their influence over care delivery has diminished. Through organizing and collective bargaining, physicians sought to restore a meaningful voice in decisions impacting their patients, their profession, and their workplaces.

‍

Dr. Nisha Gandhi, MD, Advanced Heart Failure Cardiologist at ChristianaCare and member of the Doctors Council-SEIU bargaining team, celebrated the ratification vote:

‍

"This contract is a major step forward in ensuring physicians have a meaningful voice at ChristianaCare. Throughout this process, doctors came together to advocate for our patients, our colleagues, and our profession. Ratifying this agreement demonstrates what is possible when physicians organize and work collectively to improve care delivery and strengthen our healthcare system."

‍

Highlights of the agreement include:

• Strengthening physicians' role in shaping care delivery and improving care environments.
• Establishing formal structures for physician input on issues affecting clinical practice and patient care.
• Protecting physician voice in medical decision-making.
• Creating a model for how physician organizing can improve both working conditions and patient care outcomes.

Dr. Hannah Mirzakhani, DO, Hospitalist at ChristianaCare and member of the Doctors Council-SEIU bargaining team, reflected on the significance of the achievement:

‍

"Ratifying this contract is a historic moment for physicians in Delaware. This agreement gives us a stronger voice in the workplace and creates new opportunities for physicians to advocate for the patients and communities we serve. I am proud of what we accomplished together."

‍

ChristianaCare physicians voted to join Doctors Council SEIU in June 2024, becoming part of one of the largest physicians unions in the country. The ratification of this first contract marks the culmination of months of negotiations and represents a significant step forward for physician representation in Delaware healthcare.

‍

                                                                     ###

‍

Doctors Council unites doctors, patients, and the communities we serve, advocating for quality, affordable healthcare for all. We are frontline doctors from New York to Illinois to Minnesota and Wisconsin, working together in hospitals, clinics, and public health to achieve the highest standards in quality and working conditions, win safer staffing levels, and empower doctors to do what we do best—care for our patients.

‍