Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program

SHARE is very excited to announce this new apprenticeship program in conjunction with UMass Memorial and QCC. Please disregard the pay minimums listed in the flyer and note the pay guidelines at the end of this post, which pertain exclusively to SHARE members. For a printable version of this flyer, click here.

How the pay works for SHARE members who are admitted to the Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship program:

The flyer shown above for the Medical Assistant Apprenticeship program only lists the starting pay if you are coming from outside of SHARE. If you are already a SHARE member, your pay rate will be determined by your current grade. The promotional increase rules decide how much your rate would go up. The promotional increase is 5% per grade. (If that math doesn’t land your rate on a platform in the grade, the rate will be rounded up to the next platform.)

Medical Assistant Trainee is a NSG5 title.

Medical Assistant, Certified is a NSG6 title.

  • Example: If you transfer from a NSG3 job, like PCA 1, to the Medical Assistant Trainee title, that’s 2 grades higher. So you would get a 10% increase. You would get an additional 5% when you get certified.

  • Example: If you transfer from a NSG4 job, like PCA 2, to the Medical Assistant Trainee title, that’s 1 grades higher. So you would get a 5% increase. You would get an additional 5% when you get certified.

Note: If you transfer from a title in a higher grade, your pay rate would be decreased 5% per grade.

Direct File Makes Tax Filing Easier

Filing your taxes has gotten easier for Massachusetts residents. The following message explaining how comes from the AFL-CIO . . .

The average taxpayer spends a whopping $200-plus a year on tax prep services. I bet we can all think of better things we could do with that money instead.

That’s why the Biden administration is launching a new tax filing service called Direct File in 2024 that will allow eligible taxpayers to file their taxes online directly with the IRS—for free.

According to our most recent records, you live in Massachusetts, which is one of 12 states eligible for the pilot program this year: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

The Direct File service will be available in English and Spanish, works on mobile devices as easily as it does tablets, laptops and desktop computers, and includes direct and dedicated customer support from the IRS. 

During the 2024 pilot, Direct File will support most simple returns for certain kinds of income (such as reporting a W-2 wage income or Social Security and railroad retirement income) and key credits (such as the earned income tax credit [EITC] and the child tax credit [CTC]). If your taxes are more complicated—like self-employment income, business expenses or itemized deductions—then Direct File isn’t supporting that yet and you can keep using the existing filing option that is best for you. 

The Direct File service will include a screener tool that will help you quickly confirm whether your tax situation is supported before you start filing. It also can connect you to alternative filing options if you’re not able to use Direct File this year. No one is required to use Direct File.   

Since Direct File is a new pilot, it will be rolled out in phases—and it’s expected to open to the public by early- to mid-March. For more information and to check your eligibility, visit directfile.irs.gov. You also can click here to subscribe to the IRS’ Direct File pilot newsletter. 

We think this is a pretty great way that the Biden administration is delivering for working families and for workers like you and your family to access free, safe and easy tax filing services. 

In Solidarity,

Team AFL-CIO

SHARE Updates: Quarantine, PCA Pathway Program, Scholarships, and more

Dear SHARE member, we heard last week that some people had issues with the email from SHARE, that it went straight into your work-email’s quarantine system.

So! We’re repeating some important scholarship information below, along with an announcement about UMass Memorial’s PCA Pathway Program: refer a friend or family-member to that, and get a $3,000 referral bonus!

Thank you for understanding about the redundancy. And thank you to those who let us know that SHARE emails weren’t getting through smoothly . . .

Patient Care Associate Pathway

Learn more about the PCA Pathway program here

Couillard Fund Scholarships for Nursing Education

Four (4) Couillard Fund Scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded to active UMMH Medical Center clinical support staff or LPNs currently enrolled in a program leading to an RN licensure. The scholarship deadline is April 8th. Learn more, and apply, here.

Central Mass AFL/CIO College Scholarships

SHARE members again have the opportunity to apply for a valuable education resource: the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO College Scholarship. The lottery for these scholarships will be open to any SHARE members, as well as children and grandchildren of our members, who will graduate from high school this year and attend college next year. We’d love to see more winners from SHARE this year. Learn more and apply to this fellowship here

UMass Memorial Hospital Named Among World’s Best

In case you missed it, Newsweek recently named the top 100 best hospitals in the world as ranked by an independent data-gathering firm. Fifteen of those hospitals are right here in Massachusetts, including our own UMass Memorial. UMass Memorial works because SHARE members do, and it’s nice to see that hard work recognized. Read more here.

New “Direct FilE” Service makes Filing for Taxes Easier

A new tax filing service called Direct File will allow eligible taxpayers to file their taxes online directly with the IRS—for free. The Direct File service will be available in English and Spanish, works on mobile devices as easily as it does tablets, laptops and desktop computers, and includes direct and dedicated customer support from the IRS. During the 2024 pilot, Direct File will support most simple returns. Learn more here.

2024 Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship

The SHARE office recently received the following annual notice from Joe Carlson, President of the Central Massachusetts AFL/CIO, about a really great scholarship opportunity for members. The lottery for these scholarships will be open to any SHARE members, as well as children and grandchildren of our members, who will graduate from high school this year and attend college next year.

TIPS FOR APPLYING

Many SHARE members are familiar with Chloe Belsito, a recipient of the 2022 scholarship, from her virtual performance to convey appreciation for caregivers in the UMass Memorial Gratitude Concert series. Chloe has also been a contestant on American Idol.

Please note that the union affiliation should be identified as AFSCME/SHARE. Members at UMass Memorial (including Marlboro Hospital) are in Local Union Number 3900. Applications should NOT be sent to the SHARE office.

OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Keep your eye on the SHARE blog for more #scholarships. For additional educational opportunities, check out posts tagged #education.

SHARE Updates: MLK Day, Education Opportunities & More

Happy Martin Luther King Day

As you may remember, our own union is very directly linked to Dr. Martin Luther King, and owes a debt of gratitude to his work toward social justice through organized labor. Research by the Economic Policy Institute points out that unions promote equity in key ways:

  • Unions reduce racial and ethnic pay gaps

  • Racial wealth gaps are much smaller for union members

  • Unions boost women’s pay (including in SHARE, whose membership is over 80% women)

  • Unions protect workers from discriminatory and retaliatory firings

  • Unions strengthen our democracy

Although our work as caregivers never allows for all of us to take a day off together, we’re proud that UMass Memorial Medical Center has agreed through our Contract to recognize Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday. SHARE calls on the other entities within UMass Memorial network, including Marlboro Hospital, to acknowledge the importance of this day.

SHARE honors Dr. King, and is honored to continue in service of the goals that he strove toward. After all, we know that the arc of the moral universe isn’t going to bend itself.

New education & College Debt Forgivneness Opportunities

Union Plus Scholarship Deadline: January 31

As a member of SHARE, you may qualify for one of several Union Plus Scholarships. The Union Plus Scholarship awards are presented annually to union members or members of their families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education. Amounts range from $500 to $4,000. These one-time cash awards are for study beginning in the Fall of 2024. Current and retired members of participating unions, their spouses and their dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations). At least one year of continuous union membership by the applicant, applicant's spouse or parent (if applicant is a dependent). Learn more about scholarships here.

Union Plus Education Benefits

Union Plus College is back with new tools and opportunities for making affordable education a reality for union members. Their new program, Education Marketplace, is powered by Edvance and gives you and your union family access to regionally-accredited schools and programs to meet your schedule, interests, career goals and budget. Find Associates and Bachelors degrees that meet your needs, including 100% online classes, with up to 50% off tuition. Learn more about the Union Plus College benefit here.

Federal Student Loan Debt Relief

According to a recent NPR report, “Anyone who borrowed $12,000 or less in federal student loans and has been in repayment for at least 10 years will have their debts automatically erased in February, as long as they first enroll in the Biden administration's new income-based repayment plan known as SAVE.” See https://studentaid.gov/ for more information.

About the 2024 Dues Increases

You may have noticed that your paycheck has not yet reflected the recently announced 2024 dues increase. UMass Memorial tells us that these deductions are now scheduled to begin with next week’s paycheck.

How to Decline covid and Flu shots in compliance with UMass Memorial’s vaccination Policy

Although all employees of UMass Memorial are required to take action in accordance with the hospital’s flu and Covid vaccine policies, it is no longer required to get either of the shots as a condition of employment. No one has to get the flu vaccine or the COVID vaccine, they just have to fill out the paperwork to decline, per DPH.

In case you missed it, SHARE had a big year in 2023. Check out the SHARE website for some of our year’s greatest hits

2024 Dues Rates Announced

AFSCME, SHARE’s parent union, has announced dues rates increases for the upcoming year. The 2024 regular weekly dues rate for SHARE members will be $10.78. That is an increase of $0.55 per paycheck, or slightly more than one cent per hour. For members working 20 hours/week, the 2024 weekly rate will be $8.07.

WHY SHOULD I PAY DUES?

Dues are an investment that SHARE members make in themselves and their coworkers. Without a union, employees have very little leverage to make change, or even to hold onto what they have.

SHARE members want respect for the work that they do, fair treatment, opportunities for advancement, and good raises so that they can take care of themselves and their families. SHARE gives employees a voice in various ways:

  • In contract negotiations, we have a voice in our pay, benefits and work policies.

  • In union meetings and individual conversations, we have a voice in the direction and priorities of the union

  • Through the problem-solving process, we have a voice when individual problems/conflicts come up at work

  • In union elections, we have a voice in who our representatives will be

  • Through committees, Unit Based Teams, and ad-hoc negotiations, we have a voice in issues that face groups of SHARE members

When it comes down to dollars and cents, dues pay for themselves. SHARE has consistently negotiated raises each year that our union has existed, over 22 years. Those increases have resulted in notably better pay rates than non-union counterparts. Among other things, our hospital also continues to contribute to the Defined Benefit Pension plan of all SHARE members, as well as continuing to pay 85% of Health Insurance costs.

Working together through the union, SHARE members can continue to make progress in all these areas. And dues support the staff who support this work.

When it comes to a monetary cost-benefit-analysis, dues clearly pay themselves off. This image demonstrates how the math works for this year when comparing increases in costs deducted by the employer against the increase in wages.

Am I Required to Pay Dues?

Because all employees working in the SHARE bargaining unit at UMass Memorial receive the benefits negotiated by our union, all employees are required to contribute through membership or through an equal paycheck deduction authorized by a “Fair Share” card.

If you have questions or would like to sign a Fair Share card, please call the SHARE office and leave a message at 508-929-4020 or email share.comment@theshareunion.org.

Only members can run for union leadership positions, vote in union elections, and participate in benefits programs such as UnionPlus.

HOW ARE DUES CALCULATED?

Any annual increase is calculated by the AFSCME International office based on the average percent increase of AFSCME members’ pay rates across the country in the previous year.

WHERE DO MY DUES GO?

The short answer is that dues mostly pays for SHARE staff.

The longer answer is that SHARE members at UMass Memorial pool their dues money with members of three other unions locals: SHARE at UMass Medical School, HUCTW at Harvard University, and USW at Cambridge Health Alliance. The four union locals together are called the New England Organizing Project (NEOP). All their dues together pay for the union staff for all the locals, union offices, phones and utilities, mailings, etc. About 75% of the budget is for staff.

The staff spend their time gathering information and opinions from members, sharing information with members, developing and supporting SHARE Reps, helping members with questions or problems, negotiating contracts, organizing events, researching issues, writing blog posts, etc., all on behalf of SHARE members.

MORE INFORMATION

If you would like to know more, please talk to a SHARE Rep, email share.comment@theshareunion.org, or call 508-929-4020. You can also learn more about what our union does, and the benefits of union membership, by exploring www.sharehospitalunion.org.

Vascular Surgery Office UBT Reaches Level 4!

The Vascular Surgery Office UBT is among the first in the System to reach LEVEL 4 (High-Performing UBT) on their Path to Performance! That means they’ve hit some serious milestones, and established themselves as a strong team. They’ve presented their work recently to the SHARE-UMass Memorial Leadership Council (LMPC), and it’s clear that their teamwork is turning into some real fun.

Frontline SHARE members in this UBT have developed projects that have yielded measurable and sustainable improvement, and they communicate and celebrate regularly about the work and successes with the whole department.

This Unit Based Team works in the Medical School on University Campus. It is co-led by Beatrice Edmonds and Devon Germak, and is co-sponsored by Jana Hollingsworth and Stephanie Costello. The UBT Committee members include Mary Borrelli, Jeanne Magliaro, Norma Mills, Lindsey Carr and Hannah Akoto-Kesse.

Please congratulate them on their big accomplishment if you see them around!

SHARE Updates: Happy Holidays and More

2024 Dues Rates Announced

AFSCME, SHARE’s parent union, has announced dues rates increases for the upcoming year. The 2024 regular weekly dues rate for SHARE members will be $10.78. That is an increase of $0.55 per paycheck, or slightly more than one cent per hour. For members working 20 hours/week, the 2024 weekly rate will be $8.07.

To learn more about dues, including how they’re calculated, and why they’re a cost-effective investment in yourself and your co-workers, click here.

Free Surgical Tech Certificate Program

UMass Memorial and Lasell University are partnering to offer a one-year accredited accelerated course for in-demand Surgical Technician jobs. This “earn and learn” program is designed to allow caregivers to do their coursework while working. Learn more, including how to register for one of the two information sessions in January, here.

Partnership growing with Unit Based Teams

The expanded SHARE UMass Memorial Partnership office is hitting its stride, supporting the addition of even more teams. Now, well over half of SHARE members work in departments attached to Unit Based Teams. The coaches are also working with existing teams to further strengthen and develop so that they can fulfill their main purpose: making it easier for SHARE members to enjoy work and do work you can be proud of.

In case you missed it on the Hub, you can read more about the progress here, and take a peak at the first-ever Level 4 Unit Based Team in the Vascular Surgery office. Congratulations all around!

Continued frustration with the Reset of time-off caps

Contrary to what SHARE reported last week, the Paid Time Off cap for part-time employees will be the same as the level for 40-hour employees, not lower. (Which means that the chart at the bottom of this previous blog post contains the accurate information for all members.) Some of you may have cashed out time thinking you would lose it (to your sick bank) when you didn’t need to.

We are really sorry about the bad information. SHARE worked hard to get the correct information from the hospital so that we could get it out to all SHARE members, in an impossibly short time-line. The hospital confirmed the wrong caps for part-timers. We take our role as providing reliable information to SHARE members very seriously, and we are quite frustrated with the hospital about this whole PTO cap-cutting process.

SHARE advocated strongly for a further extension of the higher COVID-temporary PTO caps, since SHARE members got so little notice to remind us when they were going back down. In spite of all the good reasons to extend, or pay out the excess time, or add another cash-out, the hospital leadership ultimately decided to cut the caps back down to the regular, negotiated caps on December 31, 2023, with no flexibility. We know that, due to continued surges in patient volume and short-staffing, some SHARE members still have not been able to spend-down their time-off hours post-COVID. Cutting the PTO banks with so little notice was the wrong thing to do.

About the Hospital’s Vaccination Policy

Although all employees of UMass Memorial are required to take action in accordance with the hospital’s flu and Covid vaccine policies, it is no longer required to get either of the shots as a condition of employment. No one has to get the flu vaccine or the COVID vaccine, they just have to fill out the paperwork to decline, per DPH. If you do decline the flu shot, you will have to wear a mask in clinical areas.

You do not need to mask because you decline the Covid shot. That said, masking has resumed in some areas: the hospital’s masking policy requires everyone, regardless of booster status, to mask for patient encounters when more than ten caregivers are out with COVID.

Happy Holidays from SHARE

The SHARE organizing staff hope that you and yours have a truly wonderful season . . .

More about the End of the Temporary PTO Cap Increase

As you know from messages from the hospital, as well as the recent email from SHARE (which can be found online here), the limits for PTO accruals will fall back to the negotiated caps at the end of this month. Although this doesn’t affect the vast majority of SHARE members — only those who have earned time above those limits — 70 or so SHARE members can benefit from taking action now.

ROLLING OVER TIME TO A SICK BANK

One thing to know is that, if you are above the limit, and you are on Earned Time (i.e., one bank, as opposed to some long longer-term members who stayed with Traditional Time, meaning they still accrue to both sick and vacation banks), then any earned time over the cap that you don’t use or cash out will automatically roll over into a reserve sick bank.

The good news about that is that the accrued time still belongs to you, and can come in handy in a pinch. However, that time then becomes more difficult to access, since the sick bank is only for extended medical leaves, after you’ve already used a full week of Earned Time.

IF YOU’RE NOT ON THE BOOKS AS A 40-HOUR EMPLOYEE

The email we sent last week included a chart for 40-hour employees to know the exact amount of your cap. However, if you are on the books as a 24- or 32-hour employee, your cap will be lower. See chart below for your approximate cap. Please call the SHARE office at EXTENSION 10, or email us if you would like help with this, or have questions.

SHARE IS PUSHING THE HOSPITAL TO EXTEND

The hospital raised the caps temporarily because they recognized that, throughout the pandemic, many employees were not able to take time off. Because caregivers were still in such demand, and still experiencing difficulty getting time away, UMass Memorial leadership extended the end-date for the higher maximums by an additional year.  SHARE recognizes that many members continue to be unable to use their time, especially during the holidays and recent surges in patient volume. SHARE is advocating that the deadline be extended further. The hospital has not, however, indicated that it will do so.

The End of the Temporary Increase in PTO Banks

SHARE has received a number of questions and complaints about the recent emails from UMass Memorial regarding Paid Time Off. Here’s what the conversation is about . . .

What’s Happening

With the hospital moving back to the pre-COVID vacation caps at the end of the year, SHARE members and everyone else will return to their regular vacation caps. The hospital had raised the limits temporarily because they recognized that many employees worked through the pandemic without being able to take time off.

SHARE members can carry over all their earned time from one year to the next. The issue is that the caps are going back down to the negotiated limits on 12/31/2023 this year.

The charts below show the earned time caps according to seniority date and how long someone has worked here. (These can be found on pages 62 and 63 of the SHARE contract.)

 

What SHARE is Doing

First, we are trying to make sure that SHARE members with less earned time than the caps know that nothing will change for them.

Second, we are urging the hospital to delay the lowering of caps for 3 months so that people have time to use (or cash out) their earned time. We know that it’s very difficult for many SHARE members to get additional vacation time over the holidays, and many people have put off vacation because of the high patient census.

Why Are We on Level 5 So Often? What’s Going on with Inpatient Volume?

Understanding what’s happening with patient volume was on the agenda at November’s SHARE-UMass Memorial Labor Management Partnership Council (LMPC) meeting, which brings together leaders from our union with the hospital’s executive leadership.

Kim Barry (ACNO and VP, Patient Care Services at UMass Memorial) described how hospitals across Massachusetts are dealing with high volume . . . including the ED boarders and bed shortages that go with it. SHARE members on the inpatient nursing floors and in the Emergency Rooms are dealing with this reality every day.

The high patient volume is caused by a combination of factors, including delayed care and short staffing, both inside hospitals and in the places hospitals discharge patients to, such as nursing homes, rehab centers, and behavioral health settings. The slides below further describe the issue, and UMass Memorial’s plan to deal with it.

This chart shows how many patients across Massachusetts were waiting for a bed elsewhere before they could be discharged on one day in September.

Kim described a wide range of changes and strategies that UMass Memorial is trying, all with the aim of improving the patient flow. In particular, there are several plans to add beds.

At the December meeting of the LMPC, we are going to talk about plans for anticipated Winter surges of COVID, RSV, etc.

SHARE and UMass Memorial Get Ready to Launch Medical Assistant Registered Apprenticeship

Kellie Morton (SHARE Organizer and Patient Care Associate) and Janet Wilder (SHARE Organizer) at the recent Medical Assistant Apprenticeship press conference

“Many SHARE members want to learn and grow in their careers. But it’s tough to go to school when you have a job, and kids, and bills to pay. Registered apprenticeships are one way to ‘earn and learn,’ which is critical for many SHARE members,” said Janet Wilder, SHARE Organizer at a press conference on Wednesday.

SHARE and UMass Memorial are working together to create career paths for SHARE members to move up in the organization. On Wednesday, our organizations jointly announced an apprenticeship to train medical assistants, starting in the spring of 2024.

Massachusetts Secretary of Labor, Lauren Jones (speaking), with UMass Memorial’s Interim President Justin Precourt, and Director of Workforce Development and Planning, Kelley Aiken

Since our most recent contract negotiations ended – where we increased tuition benefits – SHARE has been working with UMass Memorial to create as many career pathways as possible. SHARE aims for members to have options for growth, and for UMass Memorial to have people to fill positions who are well-trained, who are committed to UMass Memorial and our patients, and who want to stay and grow their careers.

Kelly Aiken, Director of Workforce Development and Planning, UMass Memorial Health, spoke about the new career training programs and how our hospital focuses on “hot jobs,” which are both in high-demand and challenging to fill. Some of those roles include: Medical Assistants, PCAs, and Surgical Technologists.

Massachusetts Secretary of Labor, Lauren Jones, joined-in to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week. It turns out that our Medical Assistant registered apprenticeship will be the first healthcare registered apprenticeship in Central Massachusetts.

“I’ve worked at UMass Memorial for 31 years,” says Kellie Morton, Medical Office Assistant in the Oncology Clinic and part-time SHARE Organizer. “I started with a training class in Home Health offered by the hospital, and I’ve worked my way up. Now I’m a Medical Assistant. It’s been an honor to help to design the Medical Assistant Apprenticeship program. We need more Medical Assistants to fill jobs, and giving opportunities to our own caregivers is huge. We’re excited to help train the new apprentices by precepting them during their on-the-job training. I want everyone to have opportunities!”

The career training programs that we create together – union and management -- will be stronger and better because they take into front-line SHARE members’ experience and knowledge.

If you are interested in the Medical Assistant apprenticeship, watch for more information in the new year. There will be room for 10 students in the first group, and we will grow from there.

UMass Memorial’s Director of Workforce Development and Planning, Kelley Aiken, announces the forthcoming “Earn and Learn” apprenticeship program where employees can advance their schooling and their career while working. Watch the story on local SpectrumNews1.

The SHARE Union / 50 Lake Avenue, Worcester, MA 01604 / Phone: (508) 929-4020 / Fax: (508) 929-4040