Supporters cite activism, employer says contract problems  

ANN ARBOR — The Ann Arbor doctor who was recently acquitted of criminal charges for her intervention against the handling of a subdued pro-Palestinian protestor is now facing a new challenge.  She recently lost her job with the Packard Community Clinic.  Her supporters claim she was fired for her political activism, but the Clinic claims a contractual disagreement is the cause.  

Dr. Catherine Wilkerson

Dr. Catherine Wilkerson was among a small group of protestors at a talk on Iran sponsored by a pro-Israel group at the University of Michigan in November, 2006.  As the city police restrained a protestor, he began losing consciousness.  

Acting as a doctor, she tried to call attention to this precarious position.  She also argued with emergency medical staff who mistreated him.  She found herself the subject of a criminal prosecution after she filed a complaint about what she witnessed.

After she was cleared of the charges, her employer issued a new contract Wilkerson found to be unfair. The contract required her, according to the Ann Arbor News, to “refrain from conduct, both at work and outside of work, which reflects negatively on the reputation and public image of the clinic; which negatively affects the ability of the clinic to retain current patients, attract new patients or attract donations; or which may otherwise… reflect poorly upon the public image of Wilkerson or the clinic.”

The community clinic seeks to provide quality health care to members of the community regardless of their insurance coverage.  Nearly half of its patients are uninsured.  The clinic’s website also espouses a progressive politics, including a commitment to diversity.

Dr. Wilkerson objected to the contract on the grounds of a vagueness that could be used to undermine her freedom of speech.  She felt it was in response to public pressure against her.  She told the Ann Arbor News, “I think the clause was put in as a tool to force me out of the clinic.”

Jim Frenza, the head trustee of the clinic, considered the contract to be standard. He accused her of providing a different story than the one that actually happened. 

Dr. Wilkerson felt targeted by the new contract. After working at the clinic for five years, she gained recognition and notoriety as an active critic of Israel.

She claims the clinic’s medical director told her that her political activities were not making her a good fit with the clinic.  This was before the trial began, and it seems the publicity was making the clinic nervous.

Her supporters during her trial have re-focused their efforts to address her termination.  On Saturday, February 9, the Committee to Defend Catherine Wilkerson (CDCW) issued an urgent action alert about the firing of Dr. Wilkerson.

The committee also posted an online petition.  In less than three days, the petition attracted 150 signatures.  Two other members of the PCC clinical staff resigned. Several people informed us they will withhold donations to the PCC in protest over the firing.

The committee is lobbying the PCC Governing Board to overturn Dr. Wilkerson’s termination.

Dr. Wilkerson does not want to leave the clinic.  She insists on negotiating the contract to not impinge on her political activities.

Many see her battle as a question of the right to support Palestine publicly.  Academics and activists have long faced numerous obstacles over support for Palestinians.  Norman Finkelstein and Nadia Abu El Hajj at Columbia University are just two examples of how speaking out or writing in solidarity with Palestinians can risk one’s career.  As Dr. Wilkerson and her supporters know, it is necessary to push back, or else the conclusion is foregone.