The New SHARE Contract Is Now in Effect
Over the course of this week, SHARE members voted to ratify the Contract Bargaining Agreement reached between SHARE and UMass Memorial, which includes annual raises over the next four years totaling a minimum of 21%.
The vote was 89% in favor
When Will the Raises Hit Our Paychecks?
The hospital’s payroll department tentatively projects that the pay raises could come in the December 8 pay raise. We recommend not relying on that date, since a number of factors could contribute to delay. When the raise comes, there will be retro dating back to October 30; in the past, those retro checks have come separately, but we don’t yet know how they will be paid this time.
We’re Proud of this Contract
While SHARE members always deserve more, this agreement involves important wins for our union during a tough time. Our union and our hospital continue to face unprecedented challenges. There are currently about 20,000 open hospital jobs in Massachusetts, which is only a part of the global healthcare worker shortage. Our whole SHARE and hospital community feel the effects of turnover and short-staffing, along with the impact of inflation and rising costs. Our new contract doesn’t resolve those problems, but it does position SHARE members to make good headway against strong forces, and we'll continue to fight for more. Among other things, here's what we got:
The largest sequence of raises in our union’s history, with the highest-number raises up front, which provides more money faster, and bigger long-term gains due to compounding
Maintaining important and valuable benefits for the next four years — including our defined benefit pension, and the fact that the employer pays 85% of health insurance premiums
Ongoing talks with management about the job market, and potential wage adjustments for job titles that fall behind the market between contracts
Expanded opportunities to improve how it feels to come to work through Unit Based Teams
Continued conversation with management about opportunities for career growth at UMass Memorial, with a focus on creating educational opportunities and systems that allow members to take advantage of them.
You Made This Happen
SHARE members defined the priorities in these negotiations, stayed engaged throughout the process, and demonstrated to management that we care about taking care of our community and ourselves. The negotiating team thanks you for your support. As always, UMass Memorial works because SHARE members do.