Digest

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.

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

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 . . .

SHARE Thanksgiving Update: Scholarships, Inclement Weather, and More . . .

UMass Memorial Medical Assistant Apprenticeships Announced

SHARE organizers Kellie Morton and Janet Wilder joined UMass Memorial leadership and Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones at a recent press conference to announce a forthcoming “Earn and Learn” apprenticeship program. With this apprenticeship — the first healthcare apprenticeship in Massachusetts — employees will be able to advance their schooling and their career while working. Details, including how to apply, will be announced in the coming months, and posted on the SHARE website. Read the full post.

“I’ve worked at UMass Memorial for 31 years,” says Kellie Morton, Medical Office Assistant in the Oncology Clinic and part-time SHARE Organizer, seen here with SHARE Organizer Janet Wilder. “I started with a training class in Home Health offered by the hospital, and I’ve worked my way up. . . . We’re excited to help train the new apprentices by precepting them during their on-the-job training. I want everyone to have opportunities!”

UMass Memorial’s Interim President Justin Precourt and Director of Workforce Development and Planning Kelly Aiken with Massachusetts Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones.

Watch the story on local SpectrumNews1.

Learn to Be a PCA

Are you interested to learn to be a PCA (Patient Care Associate) and take care of patients on the inpatient nursing floors? Or maybe you know someone else who is? Check out this new training program!

Improve Your English Language Skills

UMass Memorial’s free Workplace English Fall 2023 courses are already underway, but there are still some spaces left. These online courses are for any caregiver wanting to grow their English language abilities, for learners at any skill level. Learn more here.

Bad Weather Ahead?

SHARE’s contract agreement with UMass Memorial says this: "All employees are expected to report to work, unless the severe weather plan in their department allows them to stay home.” Of course, your work area may benefit from something better tailored to the work that you do. If you do not know if there’s a department-specific plan for your area, you should check with your supervisor or manager. The practice of the department should remain the same from year-to-year, and not change without negotiation between department leadership and the SHARE members. To learn more about the policy, and how SHARE’s contract creates opportunities for improving the plans where you work, read this recent post . . .

Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship

When it comes to being awarded union scholarships, SHARE members have a strong record. We’re looking forward to seeing more SHARE families benefit from this new round of available aid . . .

The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship and Labor Education Program is in its 65th year. Through the program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and affiliated unions are proud to award financial resources to high school students pursuing trade union programs or college/university study. ­The Massachusetts AFL-CIO administers half a million dollars of scholarship awards on behalf of unions and labor councils throughout the state. Individual awards range from $500 to $16,000. You can view a list of available awards and their criteria here.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must be a senior in high school and take the Labor History Exam. December 22, 2023 is the last day to register. For more information, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions and a Labor History Study Guide, visit https://massaflcio.org/scholarships

What’s Going on with Inpatient Volume?

SHARE members on the inpatient nursing floors and in the Emergency Rooms are dealing every day with the hard reality of our hospital being at Level 5 capacity status.

At the recent LMPC meeting, hospital leaders explained to SHARE that 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, rehabs and behavioral health settings. See visuals describing the increased volume — and our hospital’s plan to deal with it — here.

Topping Off Paid Family Medical Leave

The passage of the Family Medical Leave Ac (FMLA) in 1993 provided critical job protections for American workers and their families. The Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) furthered those protections by helping workers here avoid the often impossible choice between getting paid and taking time to get healthy. However, until now, even though Massachusetts provided pay to those taking PFML leave, workers still generally couldn’t maintain their full income.

Thanks to a new provision, Massachusetts employees can now use the Paid Time Off that they’ve accrued through their employer to top-off their income while on medical leave. For more details, check out these answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Working On Veterans Day

Because Veterans Day landed on a Saturday this year, many SHARE members had questions about holiday pay. The SHARE/UMass Memorial Contract Agreement points out that, for minor holidays such as Veterans Day: “SHARE members who work Monday through Friday will receive the holiday benefit on the observed holiday, except that the holiday differential will only be paid for hours worked on the actual holiday. Holiday differential will not be paid for working on observed holidays that are different from the actual holiday.” (page 58)

Working Around thanksgiving

We know that the work itself can often be more complicated around the holidays. SHARE has negotiated in several areas over the years for an increased number of employees to take off the day after Thanksgiving. We hear that, for still other members, it makes more sense to be home for the day. We’ll continue working with your departments, where the demands of the work allow for it, to maximize the number of people who can take the day off.

As always, SHARE is grateful to everyone who will be working and making personal sacrifices to care for patients and keep our work community strong.

Thanksgiving dinner tastes best when it’s prepared with love . . . using union-made ingredients!

SHARE Updates: Retirement Planning, Open Enrollment, and More

Raise time is a good time to start — or increasE — your 401K deduction

Take good care of your future self by taking advantage of UMass Memorial’s 401k contribution match!

Some SHARE members choose this time to increase their contribution because they say they won't miss the money as much if the deduction starts at the same time as the raise. UMass Memorial adds $.50 for each dollar you contribute to your 401k, matching up to 2% of your pay. Learn more here.

required action: Open Enrollment

Monday, October 16 — Friday, October 27

Please note that the hospital is requiring ALL employees to enroll in benefits elections during this year’s shortened open-enrollment period. SHARE is advocating that no one should lose health insurance if they fail to update their choices, but the employer currently maintains that no enrollment = no coverage.

For more information, please see this message from UMass Memorial Hospital.

Rental Assistance Program Kicks Off

The popularity of SHARE’s new Rental Assistance Program has been massive, and is offering much-needed financial support at a time when many SHARE members need it most. The spike in Central Massachusetts rental costs has made it so hard to produce first-,last- and security deposit, but this loan aims to address this need. Please note that the loan is only applicable to those members actively moving to a new place: UMass Five Credit Union may require proof-of-lease to approve this low-interest loan.

Visit the SHARE website for more about the Rental Assistance Loan

Free Covid-19 Test Kits

Since September 25, every U.S. household has again become eligible to place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. Order your free kits from covid.gov

* Before You Throw Out "Expired" Tests: Check FDA's website to see if your COVID-19 tests' expiration dates have been extended.

The SHARE Unit Based Team (UBT) at Barre Family Health Center only began in April of 2022, but has quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the pioneering Teams to achieve Level 3 on the Path to Performance.

. . . and the Vascular office has just become one of the very first teams to reach Level 4 UBT status. Congratulations on charting the way!

SHARE Updates: Contract Events, Childcare, Educational Opportunities, and More . . .

CONTRACT DISTRIBUTION EVENTS

Want to curl up with a paper version of the contract in front of the fire?

Get your copy of the red book — and talk with SHARE Organizers about any questions you’ve got — at an upcoming Contract Distribution Event.

  • UNIVERSITY — Tuesday, Sept 12 — Prescription Center hallway (aka “four corners”) — 11:30-1:30

  • MEMORIAL — Tuesday, Sept 19 — across from Cafeteria — 11:30-1:30

If you’d like a SHARE Rep to bring copies of the contract to your department or worksite, please contact SHARE.

Backup Childcare through Bright Horizons

In conjunction with UMass Memorial Hospital, Bright Horizons provides a backup childcare option to employees for holidays, breaks, professional development days, and more. Find more information and apply here.

FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

In last week’s email update, we pointed out that Quinsigamond Community College is working together with the MassReconnect program to offer the opportunity to earn free Associate Degrees and certificates for adults twenty-five years and older. But! The MassReconnect program isn’t limited to QCC: the MassReconnect program means that ALL 15 community colleges in Massachusetts are FREE to students who qualify for this program! Learn more here.

Federal Student Loan Repayments Resume in October

After a pause during the pandemic, federal student loans have again begun accruing interest, and payments will need to be made again beginning in October, to the frustration of many.

Find information and resources for union members belonging to AFSCME (SHARE’s parent union) in this message on the SHARE Blog.

The entire SHARE Contract Bargaining Agreement with UMass Memorial is online

Use the above link to zoom in, read, and print the information you need.

Make it easy, using your browser’s search tools and the SHARE site FAQ’s.



SHARE Labor Day Updates

Happy Labor Day! We hope you’re enjoying the sunshine today, and grateful to those SHARE members who are working on the holiday to take care of patients and our hospital.

Have We Lost the Spirit of Labor Day?

That’s the question asked in this short piece about the history and meaning of Labor Day, who points out that workers’ concerns and needs continue to evolve.

You still sometimes hear claims that unions have outlived their relevance. But SHARE members know that — even with good bosses, in good workplaces — concerns with working conditions continue. Only an independent source of power like a union can provide safe and effective ways for workers’ voices to consistently make a difference at work.

MassReconnect: Free Community College

Quinsigamond Community College is offering the opportunity to earn free Associate Degrees and certificates for adults twenty-five years and older. For more details, and to apply to learn more, visit QCC’s MassReconnect website.

Finding What You Need

The fully-searchable SHARE contract is now online, and distribution events for paper copies will be announced very soon. But do you know how to find what you want to know on the SHARE website?

The site is full of other useful information. We recently added a guide to applying for Leaves of Absence to the “Getting Help” page, for example. You can find that, and a whole lot more, by using the site’s search tools. Still have questions? Contact us!

SHARE Partnership Special: New Videos, UBTs in the National Spotlight, and More!

SHARE has designed, negotiated for, and cultivated the Unit Based Team program as a powerful way for members to be directly involved in the design of our own work. This special newsletter highlights exciting developments since the recent success of the UBT Fair.

SHARE Members on Youtube

With the help of our parent union, AFSCME, we’ve developed three short videos featuring SHARE members who describe what UBTs are, the successes they’ve had, and how the teams make a difference in their work.

All three UBT videos are now prominently featured on the SHARE homepage. Check them out! See anybody you know?

UBTs in the National Spotlight

The US Department of Labor has highlighted the Unit Based Teams in a few of their recent publications and presentations. Read more on the SHARE blog . . .

Congratulations to SHARE member Wanda Dyer, who was quoted in a recent nationwide DOL bulletin, where Wanda describes, “The Labor-Management Partnership between the hospital and the SHARE union allowed us to be involved in a Unit Based Team (UBT) where I was comfortable talking about the challenges in the workflow.

New UBT Coaches

The joint labor-management SHARE-UMass Memorial Partnership Office is growing! UBT experts Will Erickson and Stephanie Pepi have recently been joined by two new UBT Coaches: Jackie Zhou and Joan Perreault. Both have previously worked at UMass Memorial, already demonstrate exceptional skills, and we think they’re fantastic. They’re eager to help support SHARE members to make the current teams stronger and expand UBTs so that even more SHARE members can participate. Welcome Jackie and Joan! We’re excited you’re here!

Welcome to new UBT Coaches Jackie Zhou and Joan Perreault!

SHARE Updates: UBT Fair, Investing for Beginners, and more

Save the Date: Unit Based Team Fair, Coming this May!

Investing for beginners

Fidelity Investments is hosting two on-site sessions for UMass Memorial employees to learn about investing. During this 30-minute workshop, they’ll introduce basic terms and concepts as well as different investing styles. Check your work inbox for an email from the employer to sign up for one of the free sessions:

April 18 @ Noon, University Campus Amphitheater III (S6-102)

or

April 19 @ Noon, Memorial Campus Amphitheater

While all SHARE members automatically accrue toward retirement through the Defined Benefit Pension, the UMass Memorial 401k plan allows you to save for retirement, pre-tax, with UMass Memorial contributing, too. If you’ve been to a SHARE Retirement Training, you know that retirement experts say we should think of a solid retirement income as a three-legged stool, with the pension serving as one leg, Social Security as a second leg, and your total savings functioning as the third leg.

UMass Memorial adds $.50 for each dollar you contribute to your 401k, matching up to 2% of your pay. Memorial CT Technologist and SHARE Executive Board Member Jay Hagan has served as a member of the SHARE team that has negotiated with management about the current retirement benefits. “I think a lot of SHARE members don’t realize they’re leaving money on the table if they don't save through the 401k,” he says. “My financial advisor tells me, 'if you can afford it, the employer-match is really free money.' You could think of it as the hospital paying you to participate. If you don't use the match, it's like giving the money back.”

Deciding the save money with the 401K is a tough choice for many SHARE members. But the younger you start, the less you have to take out of your check each week to reach your goals. If you have questions about SHARE’s negotiated retirement benefits, please contact the SHARE office. If you have questions about your own 401k, contact Fidelity Investments at 800-343-0860, or log on to your Fidelity account at www.fidelity.com/atwork.

Make Sure Your Tax Withholding status is up-to-date

If you haven’t made changes since the 2020 tax law changes, your filing status will default to single in January. In case you missed the memo from UMass Memorial, you can read it here, along with a short explainer from SHARE.

Team Spotlight: Barre’s Unit based TEam

The Barre Clinic is at it again, having completed a second project thanks to their department’s Unit Based Team. Patients had been arriving to their lab appointments too often with no active orders to complete the labs. Read here about the two interventions they identified to solve the problem, saving time and hassle for the SHARE members who work there and their patients.

SHARE Updates: Job Fair, Staffing Shortage, Kronos, UBT Spotlight, and More

JOB Fair: This Saturday, March 25!

Do you have friends and family who are looking for work? SHARE encourages you to let them know about UMass Memorial’s job fair this Saturday, March 25, from 10am-2pm at the Church of the Pentecost, 41 Providence Street, Worcester. The hospital’s event emphasizes the value of the local Ghanaian community to our hospital community, but all job-seekers are welcome. See this flyer for more details.

In the News: The Staffing Shortage

As you know, SHARE members are feeling the burden of the healthcare staffing shortage . . . especially due to short-staffing in their departments. This article from GBH News points out that “Massachusetts hospitals paid a staggering $1.52 billion last year to hire temporary hospital workers, mostly ‘travel nurses,’ amid a labor shortage that contributed to record financial losses for many institutions.” The article cites UMass Memorial’s own CFO, vice president and treasurer, Sergio Melgar; among other things, he says that our hospital ”went into FY 2022 with 600 open jobs, and filling those vacancies with temporary workers was expensive. In some cases, he said, traveling workers were paid triple times the cost of pre-COVID rates.”

 

UNit Based TEams: Learning from Each Other

At the beginning of March, three dozen Unit Based Team (UBT) Co-Leads and Co-Sponsors joined together for a monthly Peer-Learning event. Participants learned about a useful project at Hahnemann Internal Medicine (see below). They also learned that researchers from Rutgers University are working to understand the impact that UBTs have on frontline work and workers, as well as how to convert an Idea Board idea into a UBT project. Plus! UBT leaders discussed ideas for the upcoming SHARE UBT Fair on May 10th. Everyone is invited. Keep your eyes peeled for more details about that!

Hahnemann Internal Medicine and the Book of Knowledge: it may sound like a novel in the Harry Potter series, but the Unit Based Team in Hahnemann Internal Medicine has created a way to make everyday information — as well as not-so-frequently-asked questions — easily accessible to the staff there. It’s saving SHARE members time and headaches, and could be a useful example for other departments. Learn more about what they've done.

KRONOS Update

SHARE Organizers met again with executive leadership of UMass Memorial for an update about what’s gotten back to normal, and what hasn’t yet, since the international Kronos cyber-attack. The short version:

  • Underpayment discrepancies due to Kronos have now all been processed

  • Overpayment recoupment is likely to begin in March

  • Paid Time Off/Earned Time is believed now to be correct in your bank

For all the details, see the full Kronos update post on the SHARE blog.

Valentines Are Better with Union-Made Chocolate: A Message from SHARE’s Parent Union, AFSCME

Workers at Rabble-Rouser Chocolate & Craft Co. organized with AFSCME because they know a union is the best way to live their values. It’s true — life is sweeter in a union on Valentine’s Day and every day!

Now is your chance to enter a drawing to win a delicious chocolate bar made by your AFSCME family in Vermont. Enter today for your chance to win!

SHARE Negotiations Update

This week we negotiated on Tuesday instead of Thursday. We have agreed to extend the contract again, this time through our next negotiating session. Next week we will be back to Thursday. For more general information about how negotiations works, check out these answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

In Negotiations, the SHARE Team has worked hard to depict what it’s like to work on the front lines and why members need good raises. It’s been meaningful to convey these messages directly from you. For a bigger sample of what we’ve presented to management, check out the “Always Essential" Gallery online . . .

Hanging the SHARE signature poster helps demonstrate how far and wide SHARE’s 3000 members work across UMass Memorial, and how much we do to support it. In the Emergency Department (seen above) they’re also describing why a good raise is so important.

“I need a good raise because”

At last week’s contract negotiations, photos of SHARE members — as well as “I need a good raise because . . .” signs — wallpapered the room around the negotiating table. The SHARE Negotiating Team continues to present the ideas and experiences of SHARE members to management — last week in pictures as well as the usual stories, numbers, charts, and graphs. SHARE members’ support matters both inside the negotiating room and outside in the departments. Standing up to support contract negotiations makes a real difference in our ability to negotiate a strong contract — we can tell that your efforts are being noticed by management. Thanks to you, we are getting very close — read on for details.

Raises – Getting Closer

Again, the majority of our discussion was about raises. The SHARE Negotiating Team put a creative package together in response to management’s proposal last week. We continue to talk about raises to address inflation, that are good for both high-paid SHARE members and for members in the less well-paid grades. We are getting closer and closer…

We are also discussing how many years the new contract should be for. The SHARE Negotiating Team says, “It all depends on the numbers.” Whether we lock in a shorter contract or a longer one, there are potential risks and rewards, depending on what the future brings. We could lock in a raise in times of high inflation that turns out to be great in a future year of low inflation. Or, it could turn out that inflation is high again that year. Two advantages of a longer contract: it locks in our health insurance and pension benefits, and it gives SHARE members predictability. One advantage of a shorter contract: we have the flexibility to address new issues as they arise.

Health Insurance & Pension

The SHARE Negotiating Team wants to protect the good health insurance benefits we have. Good news: the hospital is not proposing any cuts to these benefits. (The cost of health insurance will go up in January, but the premium split is defined our contract: SHARE members pay 15% of the total cost, while the hospital pays 85% of the cost.)

Promotion Increase, Bridging

We are talking about two more parts of the contract that have to do with pay rates: how much a SHARE member gets when they transfer or get promoted to a higher grade, and how much a re-hire gets offered for pay if they come back in less than 3 years.

Absenteeism & Leaves-of-Absence

We’ve mostly wrapped up this part of the negotiations. The state of Massachusetts now provides protections that duplicate protections we had negotiated in previous contracts. So, we’re working with UMass Memorial to make the system easier for members to use, removing Leaves that are now redundant. Beyond that, general attendance is as important as ever, given the tight staffing levels, and SHARE is carefully considering management’s concern that there may be overuse and abuse of time off in some areas, while advocating that SHARE members need to be able take time off from work, now more than ever.

Career Training

SHARE would like to create a state of the art training program so that SHARE members can get help to learn new skills and grow their careers at UMass Memorial. We think that hospital would like that too – but we are still working on what we can agree to going forward.

SHARE Updates: Negotiations & How You Can Help

SHARE Contract Negotiations Update: Fingers Crossed…

Contract negotiations on Thursday, October 6, moved us closer to a deal. Both the SHARE Negotiating Team and the hospital management team made moves to get closer to each other. While we can never predict how long it will take to get to a final agreement, Jay Hagan, SHARE Co-President on the Memorial campus says, “I’m optimistic. I’ve been through a lot of contract negotiations that went worse than this one. We hope to finish very soon.”

SHARE Co-President from the University Campus Rita Caputo, says “SHARE has been a good partner to the hospital — we worked hard through COVID, we’re doing Unit Based Teams, we testified against MGB taking insured patients from our region — and in negotiations we’re expecting our hospital to recognize that that’s valuable.”

SHARE members are showing their support for negotiations by posting the signature poster in their work area, wearing red on Thursdays, and coming to SHARE events. That really shows management that all 3000 SHARE members are paying attention to negotiations and care a lot about the outcome. SHARE’s negotiating team can’t do it without you!

The next negotiating date is Thursday, October 13th.

Kelly Fournier, from the SHARE Negotiating Team adds, “This is all new to me, this is my first contract negotiation. I had no idea how much goes into it. I’m learning a lot. More importantly, I feel like I’m working on behalf of my co-workers and SHARE members across our hospitals to make UMass Memorial a better place to work.”

Next Steps: How YOU Can Help SHARE Get a Good Deal

We need to keep the momentum going. Let’s send another message to management about why good raises are important. SHARE wants to convey specifically why raises are important to you.

Click the button to download and print a poster. Then, name why you need a good raise: fill in the blank, take a picture with your poster, and email your photo to SHARE.

Share the poster with your co-workers, take single or group pictures, and send them back to us. If we get your photo by noon on Wednesday (October 12th) we can use it for negotiations on Thursday. It’s fine to take pictures in front of your heating oil tank, at the gas station, in the grocery store, anywhere you want – just make sure there’s are no patients in the pictures! We’ll also be using these photos on the SHARE website and our social media accounts.

It’s exciting to see so many SHARE members getting engaged in so many ways during this year’s negotiations. For more ways that you can keep updated, show your support, and be involved, check out the 2022 Negotiations section of the SHARE website.

SHARE Updates: YOU Are Making a Difference, Contract Extended, Free Classes, and More

Current Contract Extended

As you may know, our current contract with UMass Memorial expires today, September 30. However, we are still negotiating, so we have jointly agreed with the hospital to extend the existing contract for 2 weeks. 

The contract extension runs through October 14. The SHARE Negotiating Team is cautiously optimistic that we will be able to come to a new contract agreement in that time. Don’t worry, the SHARE Negotiating Team is totally clear that the raise has to be retroactive, so SHARE members don’t lose anything by the delay.

Our talks continue to move forward. SHARE and the hospital management both recognize the importance of delivering good raises as soon as possible. However, the SHARE negotiating team still cannot agree to management's most recent proposal. It is not enough.

You are making a difference. Thank you for the fantastic turnout at our first few Signature Poster events, for wearing red on Thursdays, and for all the ways you're showing that SHARE is sticking together for good raises. Want more ideas? Check out the special 2022 Negotiations section of the SHARE website! And read on for more . . .

UMass Memorial Works Because SHARE Members Do

When our community sees that, it makes a difference. Central Massachusetts relies on SHARE’s 3000 members for its healthcare. Let’s keep the momentum going! 

Send us your photos! We want our community to know we’re wearing red on Thursdays to show that SHARE members work everywhere in our hospital — UMass Memorial works because SHARE does! — and we’re sticking together for a good raise.

Thanks for coming out for Poster Events! Showing off the 2,400 signatures on the 2022 SHARE Signature Poster in your department is an important display of our union’s strength.

Work-from-Home Picnic POSTPONED 

We're sorry to say the weather doesn't look reliable enough on Saturday, so we're postponing the Saturday picnic due to rain 🌦 The event is being re-scheduled to Saturday, October 22, from 10am-noon. 

In the meantime, we'll be holding 2 virtual info sessions about contract negotiations for WFH employees:  

  • Monday 10/3 - 12p-1:30p, and  

  • Tuesday 10/4 - 5p-6:30p 

Details and Zoom links have been mailed to members in Work-from-Home departments. Please email SHARE if you did not receive that information. 

UMass Memorial to Offer Free Med-Term Course 

Organization and People Development is partnering with Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) to offer “Introduction to Medical Terminology” to UMMH caregivers. The course is live, online, instructor-led, and completely free to UMass Memorial employees. There are 15 sessions for a total of 45 learning hours. 

  
Interested caregivers can begin this Fall, or reserve a spot for January 2023. Learn more here 

Please note also that, if you have friends or family who were put out of work by the pandemic, QCC offers free courses through its Fast Track Skills Academy 

Getting Covid Test Kits at No Cost 

SHARE members who take advantage of the health insurance through UMass Memorial are eligible for Covid test kits at no cost. Learn how to get them here.  

Additionally, test kits can be delivered to your door from the federal government. Learn more about this program – plus other ways to get free test kits – here.   

SHARE Updates: Memorial Poster Event TODAY, Negotiations, UBTs Spotlights, and More!

Don’t forget: Memorial Campus Poster Event!

Let’s keep the momentum going! Come pick up a SHARE Signature Poster to hang in your department.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 28, noon-1:30

WHERE: outside the Memorial Amphitheater

WHY: To show we’re sticking together in support of good raises and a strong contract. Come take a picture with your co-workers and the poster, find your own signature, bring a copy back for your department, and pick up a Regatta sub.

Negotiations Update

As you may remember from the last contract update, SHARE recently received a counter-proposal from management about raises. It’s progress, but the SHARE Negotiating Team believes it’s not for SHARE members yet.

Now is the time for SHARE members to show support for strong contract. Two-thousand four-hundred SHARE members’ signatures on our 2022 Signature Poster makes a beautiful and powerful statement about what SHARE members care about. The SHARE Negotiating Team asks you to continue to show your support for a great contract: come to a Poster Unveiling event near you, put the poster up in your area, take pictures of SHARE members with their poster, and come to SHARE contract events. (See even more ways to show your support in this special section of the SHARE website dedicated to our current negotiations.)

Our message for the hospital management is this: SHARE members need good raises to attract and retain skilled, committed staff, especially to recognize all the sacrifices during COVID.

While raises are the main focus of contract negotiations, we are talking with management about how to support SHARE members’ career development, and how to help members who are dealing with housing crises due to the rapidly rising rent, among other issues.

The University Campus poster event was a great success. Next stop: Memorial!

News from the Partnership Office: UBT’s Making a Difference!

SHARE is excited to turn the spotlight on two recent UBT updates: the Rheumatology department on the Memorial campus has developed a useful system for communicating with patients about wait-times, and the new Psychiatry Lean Team at 100 Century Drive is making headway on new projects to improve patient care and how it feels to come to work everyday. The Partnership Office also offers this helpful tip for departments with UBTs to get more bang for their buck.

A Psychiatry Lean Team UBT meeting . . . bringing together teammates virtually and on-site

WORK-FROM-HOME PICNIC FOR A STRONG CONTRACT

In our ongoing series of events in support of a strong contract, SHARE is hosting a Work from Home Picnic in the park this Saturday morning. If your department primarily works from home, we hope you’ll join us to enjoy some free food, check out the Signature Poster, and have a good time with co-workers and fellow SHARE members in real life!  For more info, please contact SHARE.Comment@theshareunion.org

SHARE Updates: Poster Unveiling Event TODAY, New Negotiations Website, Spotlight on the Memorial Inpatient Pharmacy

Don’t Forget: 2022 Signature Poster Unveiling Event TODAY!

Over 2,400 SHARE members signed-on to our statement in support of a strong contract before it was time to send to the printer. Today we the reveal the poster in all of its glory. If you’re on the University campus, we encourage you to come to the big event. Come find your own signature on the poster, bring a copy back for your department, and enjoy a free sandwich. (More details on the flyer below.)

You can also pick up a poster at signature events including Memorial campus next Wednesday [[details]]. More sites, including for employees with work-from-home arrangements, will be announced soon.

New Contract Negotiations Website

The best way to find out about what’s happening in contract negotiations is to come to information meetings and talk with SHARE Reps and Organizers firsthand. So you can always have useful information at your fingertips, we’ve also dedicated a new section of the SHARE website to round up contract negotiation resources. On the new site you can find:

  • Links to negotiations updates & contract event announcements

  • Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about negotiations

  • “Always Essential” graphics (with directions about how to add them to your email signature or virtual meeting background)

  • And lots more ways that you can support a strong contract!

UBT Spotlight: Memorial Inpatient Pharmacy

Congratulations to the Unit Based Team in the Memorial Inpatient Pharmacy! SHARE members and other staff there are now experiencing smoother transitions among roles and shifts, thanks to a project designed to measure and improve communication. Learn more about how they did it in this UBT Spotlight post.

SHARE Updates: 25th Anniversary!

SHARE Is 25!

In September of 1997, staff at UMass Memorial voted decisively in favor of having their own union. And look at us now! We’ve negotiated solid raises every year since. We still have good health insurance at an affordable price. Every SHARE member still has a real pension . . . an uncommon benefit that provides stable, consistent income after retirement. Just as importantly, SHARE has developed an engaged community of members. We take care of ourselves and one another. And we have a say about where UMass Memorial goes from here. Happy Anniversary!

Rad Onc is wearing red to support a strong contract!

Negotiations Update

SHARE and UMass Memorial's negotiating teams continue to meet each Thursday. During our most recent session, management put on the table another counter-proposal for raises. SHARE's team can see that management's proposal moves closer to what members need, but believe that it's still not enough. SHARE's team again described the need for raises that meaningfully address the pressures of inflation, and provide wages that make hiring (and staying) at UMass Memorial more attractive.

SHARE and UMass Memorial have a tradition of reaching agreements that keep our members' wages ahead of the market. SHARE aims to continue that. The pandemic's extraordinary pressures shifted the job market significantly, and our next agreement requires more.

Negotiating side-tables continue to discuss career development as well as attendance. In our most recent session, management described their interest in absenteeism and curbing call-outs. SHARE agreed that staffing levels matter deeply to members -- especially as departments are now fatigued and short-staffed. SHARE made clear our interest in ensuring members can get time off without putting a burden on co-workers.

How You Can Help

It’s time to show some SHARE strength! Our negotiating team is making a strong case at the negotiating table, bringing forward thoughts and ideas you’ve shared. SHARE’s strength at the negotiating table comes from 3000 members staying informed and keeping connected. SHARE Signature events start next week — more details soon. Additionally, you can:

It’s always a good time to wear your “Always Essential” SHARE button to show that we’re sticking together! (Need some for your department? Call or email and we’ll get them to you!)

Federal Student Debt Relief Update

Good news for federal student loan borrowers: Last month, the Biden administration again extended the pause on student debt repayment. The new extension includes a “fresh start” program, which erases the default and delinquency status on late payments for millions of borrowers.

Please note: to take advantage of this debt relief, some borrowers will need to take steps before Oct. 31, 2022.

Visit AFSCME’s Student Debt Resource Center to learn about federal student debt relief programs.

  • You can read the full SHARE blog post about federal student debt relief here.

  • You may also have seen that UMass Memorial recently announced a partnership with tuition.io for student debt relief management. In case you missed it, SHARE has reprinted the hospital’s announcement, which includes a list upcoming virtual information sessions about the program.

Labor Day Roundup

We hope that everyone had a meaningful Labor Day this year, with special thanks to those of you who were working on the holiday to take care of patients and our hospital. AFSCME President Lee Saunders marked the occasion with this thoughtful op-ed in Newsweek describing reasons that working people have to be optimistic now.

One of our own SHARE families joined SHARE organizers at the annual Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Labor Day Rally this year . . . to be awarded a college scholarship! Congratulations to Adela Vasili, daughter of SHARE member Erlinda Vasili, and recipient of the $1000 prize. Adela is attending Holy Cross University.

SHARE Updates: Negotiations, Signing On, Wearing Red, and More

YOU Can Help SHARE Bring Home a Strong Contract!

Through countless conversations and survey responses, you’ve told SHARE what matters to you. Our negotiating team is making the case to the hospital that it needs to invest more in SHARE members. We need meaningful raises. Here are some ways to support SHARE now:

  • Sign-on to the 2022 SHARE Poster for a Strong Contract. If you already signed — thank you! If you haven’t already, we urge you to do that asap! Just talk to the SHARE Rep in your area, or call or email the SHARE office.

  • Wear red on Thursdays to show solidarity with the negotiating team as they meet with management.

  • Every day is a good day to wear your SHARE “Always Essential” button!

  • Stay informed! Read on below to learn what’s happening now. For a look back at recent updates, check out posts marked #Negotiations

SHARE members in Urology are wearing their red! Pictured here are SHARE Union Rep Miranda Leger, LPN; SHARE Union Rep Yvonne Ashworth-Thayer, LPN; and SHARE member Alexandra Towouh, LPN

Negotiations Update

Our negotiation sessions are still all about the money. After presenting initial proposals, both teams have made adjustments to their positions in response to the interests we’ve heard from each other. In case you’ve missed it, SHARE’s proposal is designed to:

  • Take inflation and the rise in cost-of-living expenses into account.  

  • Make sure SHARE members make progress every year as their experience grows.

  • Catch up to what other employers are paying so that UMass Memorial can hire and fill positions, so SHARE members aren’t so short-staffed.  

  • Deal with the fact that the rising minimum wage in Massachusetts, added to the national staffing shortage, makes it especially hard to retain staff.  

  • Recognize SHARE members’ hard work during COVID and now – SHARE members are Always Essential!  

Negotiations Update: Side tables

While the main Negotiations is all about the money, two side tables are focused on other good things for SHARE members. The “Leaves & Absenteeism” side table continues to work to streamline the Leave of Absence programs. SHARE wants to make it easier for you to understand what programs are useful to you, while at the same time retaining the job protections currently available.

The “Career Advancement” side table is exploring ways to make it easier for you to get the education you want and to grow in careers at UMass Memorial. SHARE and management members had an exciting meeting with representatives from the Ben Hudnall Memorial Trust (BHMT) at Kaiser Permanente, a nationwide healthcare provider network based on the West Coast engaged in Labor Management Partnership. The BHMT has developed over the years to help over 110,000 union members have access to training and academic degree programs with zero out-of-pocket costs. Their system provides a useful model for what our hospital and union could do right here.

SHARE Testifies for Bed Expansion

SHARE testified in support of adding beds at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health virtual hearing about UMass Memorial’s application to add 91 new inpatient beds: 72 at the “NIB” (New Inpatient Building, the old Beaumont nursing home building next to University Campus), and 19 at Memorial.

In her testimony, SHARE Organizer Janet Wilder described how difficult it is for SHARE staff to provide care in these circumstances: feeling bad for making patients wait, always juggling, always running – it’s exhausting! Read the full post here . . .

Updates from the SHARE-UMass Memorial Partnership Office

SHARE’s Unit Based Teams continue to expand and make important strides toward improving how it feels to come to work in our hospital. And the SHARE-UMass Memorial Partnership Office continues to develop new ways to support those teams. We’re excited to hear these new updates from them . . .

PCA Committee Off to a Strong Start

Congratulations on launching your team!

Already got a UBT? Check this out . . .

SHARE Updates: Info Table TODAY, Negotiations, Opportunity for PCAs

Reminder: University Campus Negotiations Information Table TODAY

Don’t forget! SHARE will have an information table set up outside the old main entrance to the University Campus hospital, near the Prescription Center today, Tuesday, August 9, from 11:30am-1:00pm. Please come by to talk with SHARE organizers about what’s happening in Contract Negotiations. And, please bring your co-workers to sign the poster in support of good raises and a strong contract.

NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE: TALKING ABOUT MONEY 

SHARE and UMass Memorial negotiating teams continue to discuss money. The Medical Center’s Chief Financial Officer, Therese Day, recently made a presentation to both teams. Day described the hospital’s current financial status, addressing questions provided to her ahead of time by the SHARE negotiating team. She described recent financial losses, due largely to the increasing costs of running the hospital and evaporating COVID support from the government. She was clear that a big part of the problem is that travelers and incentives are pushing up labor costs, as well as inflation in supplies prices.  

Day was also clear that UMass Memorial must solve its staffing problems, though her role was not to talk specifics about raises. Because reimbursement rates aren’t rising as fast as costs, departments are looking for ways to make the difference for next year’s budget. She assured the SHARE Negotiating Team that the hospital’s approach is to grow in ways that increase revenue, rather than making cuts. She described ways that the hospital could expand some of its most profitable work to help offset losses.  

SHARE has since made an initial comprehensive wage proposal that aims to account for the surge in cost-of-living expenses, make predictable financial progress, keep SHARE jobs competitive in the market, and recognize the essential service SHARE members provide for our community. While discussions about money continue, negotiating teams subcommittees have begun to discuss in greater depth career opportunities for SHARE members, and attendance. 

Are you a PCA or MHC? Participate in This Conversation, Get A $75 Gift Card

Design Impact and ReThink Health are looking to understand the work experience of Patient Care Associates and Mental Health Counselors – what brings you joy and what makes it hard. In particular, their team is interested in when you feel like your dignity is being respected at work and when you feel like its not being respected. They aim to help people in jobs like yours to feel more strongly valued, at work and in the world. They’re pulling together some sessions on Zoom the week of August 22nd. The sessions will be 90 minutes long, and they will pay you $75 dollars for your time. You just need to sign up for one. We think participating will be a good experience, and that it could help PCAs around the country. You can contact the program directly (see the flyers below), or email Will Erickson (will.erickson@theshareunion.org) with questions or to connect with this opportunity.

SHARE Digest: CORRECTION!

SHARE really wants to know what you know so we can make our strongest case when it comes to negotiating wages. But, the link in today’s earlier email didn’t work. A big thank you to the SHARE members who reached out to let us know! Here’s that button again, this time with the corrected link:

SHARE Needs Your Info About What Other Employers Pay 

You can help SHARE in a way that no one else can: we need to know what you know about the job market for comparable jobs at other institutions. The SHARE organizing team is compiling stories and data about what we’ve heard about other employers, specifically how their pay, benefits, and culture compete with what UMass Memorial has to offer. We’re advocating for improvements that make it an easier decision to come to work here and a wise choice to stay. Let us know what you’ve experienced in your job search, or about things you’ve heard from your friends in the field. 

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