Your Pension & 401k: Upcoming SHARE Information Sessions

Raise time is a great time to revisit your financial plans for your future self! The next raise for SHARE members goes into effect on September 28 (4% increase, or $1.00 per hour, whichever is greater).

Your Pension and 401K 

• Did you know that you have a pension? SHARE has negotiated with UMass Memorial to establish and maintain a pension for all SHARE members, fully funded by the employer.

• Are you taking advantage of the 401K match from the hospital? If not, you’re leaving free money on the table. Don’t worry, you can start with a small contribution!

SHARE Info Meetings 

Join us to learn about your benefits, and how to take advantage of them.

Meetings are virtual, on Zoom.

Tuesday, September 9th, 12p-1:00p

Wednesday, September 10th, 7:30a-8:30a

Thursday, September 11th, 5:00p-6:00p 

*please note that all three Zoom sessions will use the same link. Click the above button at any of the listed times. This will bring you to a Zoom waiting room, where a meeting organizer will admit you.

Contract Update: Info Meeting TODAY, Your Personal Raise Email, and More

Did You Get Your “Raise Amount” Email? 

Yesterday, SHARE sent an email to SHARE members with an individualized description of how the raises negotiated in the Tentative Agreement would affect your particular pay rate. If you did not receive this email (they were sent between 4:20pm and 5:15pm), or if you have questions, please let us know: share.comment@theshareunion.org 

(Incidentally, the questions are already coming in! We’re getting back to you as quickly as we can. Thanks!) 

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Ratification Vote Details & More 

The contractvote2022 website collects up resources for understanding the Tentative Agreement and how to cast a vote on it. The vote will take place next week from Monday to Thursday, in UMass Memorial buildings from Uxbridge to Barre to Fitchburg. Visit the website to find a complete list of vote locations. Our union’s constitution requires us to hold the vote either in-person or remotely . . . it cannot be both. Only SHARE members can vote. (Not a member? Join here!) 

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Why Voting Matters 

The SHARE Negotiating Team – together with all of you – did our best to bargain with management for what we believe is the best possible agreement for members. We encourage you to vote yes.  

Even more important than that? We simply encourage you to vote. It’s OK if we don’t all agree. Voting sends a clear message to management that members are participating and care about the outcome. 

Your participation during negotiations made a real difference in getting the biggest raises we’ve gotten in our 25 year history. Let’s keep it going!  

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Final Information Meeting about the Tentative Agreement 

Join SHARE organizing staff online tonight from 5-6pm to learn about the Tentative Agreement, ask questions, and give SHARE your feedback about the Tentative Agreement. 

Or Click: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81602733658?pwd=N1c3RDRvZEF2ek9jMjQyN1dmVGIxdz09

Or Dial: 312-626-6799

Meeting ID: 816 0273 3658

Passcode: 535202

(Phone users: dial *6 during the call to mute or unmute yourself)

The SHARE Negotiating Team encourages you to vote YES on the contract next week!

Proposed Pay Grids Now Online & Info Meeting Reminder (Today!)

Contract Vote Is Next Week

Voting locations & times are now listed on the Negotiations 2022 Section of the SHARE website. SHARE members may vote at any available site.

Pay ranges are now online at that site, too, along with an explainer to help you find what your raise would be in each year of the contract.

Only SHARE members can vote. (Not a member? Join now!)

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online Information Meetings

SHARE encourages members to attend to learn more about the tentative agreement, ask questions, and share your thoughts.

Wednesday 11/9

8a-9:00a 

Wednesday 11/9

noon-1:30

Thurs 11/10

5p-6p

 

For all zooms, the login information will be the same: 

Click: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81602733658?pwd=N1c3RDRvZEF2ek9jMjQyN1dmVGIxdz09

Or Dial: 312-626-6799

Meeting ID: 816 0273 3658

Passcode: 535202

Additional Info: 

For more information about the tentative agreement, click here. 

SHARE Zoom Negotiation Info Meetings

Please attend to learn more about the tentative agreement, ask questions, and share your thoughts. Stay tuned for more info about on-site informational sessions. 

Friday 11/4

12p - 1:30p 

Wednesday 11/9

8a-9:30a 

Wednesday 11/9

noon-1:30

Thurs 11/10

5p-6:30p

 

For all zooms, the login information will be the same: 

Click: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81602733658?pwd=N1c3RDRvZEF2ek9jMjQyN1dmVGIxdz09

Or Dial: 312-626-6799

Meeting ID: 816 0273 3658

Passcode: 535202

Additional Info: 

For more information about the tentative agreement, click here. 

SHARE Updates: Virtual Info Meeting, Negotiations, and More . . .

Contract Negotiations Update: It's All about the Money 

As SHARE Members made clear in the 2022 Contract Surveys, raises are SHARE’s top priority for negotiations. Last week, the SHARE Negotiating Team put our first raise proposal on the table to the hospital. Our proposal aims 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!  

Read more about what’s happening SHARE and UMass Memorial negotiations, including our wage discussions, in this blog post.

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Virtual Information Meeting on Wednesday

Informed members keep our union strong. The SHARE Organizing staff invites all members to join online in the next of our series of information meetings to talk about how contract negotiations are going. We encourage you to bring your questions, enjoy your lunch if you want, and appear on camera if you can.

What: Negotiations Update, with a special focus on remote work

When: Wednesday, August 17, 11:30am-1pm

Where: Online, via Zoom: link here

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The Inflation Reduction Act & Healthcare Savings for Americans

President Biden is soon expected to sign into law a set of reforms known as the Inflation Reduction Act that promise some good news for American workers. According to the Washington Post, the new rule would, among other things, “prevent huge spikes in the cost of health insurance for roughly 13 million Americans. It would limit seniors’ drugs costs at $2,000 a year. And it would place a cap of $35 a month on how much diabetics enrolled in Medicare would pay for insulin, a lifesaving medication.” Read what AFSCME President Lee Saunders says about the package, and why it’s good for union members, here.

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Support a Strong Contract: Sign the SHARE Signature Poster

So many SHARE members have already signed the 2022 SHARE signature poster in support of a strong contract. Thank you! To ensure the best possible raises and contract, we encourage all SHARE members to sign on to this statement of our needs and values. SHARE Reps and Organizers will continue to bring signature forms through the hospital buildings and answer questions about negotiations. You can also call the SHARE office (508-929-4020) to make arrangements to sign.

University SHARE Contract Drop-In TODAY

University Campus Info Table

Today, Friday, July 8

11:30am-1pm

OUTSIDE, near the Prescription Center (old west entrance)

Join SHARE organizers today to talk about the upcoming negotiations with UMass Memorial. Share what matters most to you, learn how you can help advocate for a strong contract, and pick up a pin to show your support.

The SHARE 2022 Contract Negotiations Team: (kneeling, left-right): Kim Latrobe, Kellie Morton, Tracy O’Donnell; (middle row): Kathy Girouard, Jana Hollingsworth, Deb Clark, Christean Hughes; (back row): Janet Wilder, Rita Caputo, Deb Largesse, Jay Hagan, Deb Engvall, Carol Hehir, Kona Enders; (not pictured): AJ Iaconi, Armon Rad, Elisabeth Szanto, Kirk Davis, Tameka McDaniel-Vasquez

Reminder & Time Change: Information Meeting TODAY

MEMORIAL CAMPUS CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS INFORMATION MEETING

outside the Memorial Amphitheater

Thursday, June 23

12:30-1:30

Note that, because of a scheduling conflict with our first negotiation session, we have moved the time of this information meeting back slightly.

Join the SHARE organizing staff to discuss the beginning of SHARE’s contract negotiations with UMass Memorial Hospital. We will describe SHARE’s priorities and answer any questions you may have. Also, we will have chocolates. 😎

Reminder: SHARE Virtual Contract Information Meeting TODAY

Zoom Information Meeting

Thursday 5/19

11:30a-1:00p

Join the SHARE Organizing staff and other SHARE Members to talk about the upcoming negotiations with UMass Memorial. Share what matters most to you and learn how you can help advocate for a strong contract.

— or —

Phone: 1 646 558 8656 // Meeting ID: 850 8466 6514 // Passcode: 444 290

If you’ve got a camera, we’d love to see you live at the virtual meeting. Either way, please feel free to bring your lunch and your questions, and invite your co-workers. This will be a rolling, informal meeting where we’ll repeat the high points throughout and gear the talk toward the group on-hand.

We’ll continue to schedule Information Meetings through the entire negotiation process. If you’d like to set up a meeting at a time and place that works for you and your co-workers, call the SHARE office (508-929-4020, extension 10) and leave a message.

UMass Memorial works because SHARE does!

Reminder: Memorial SHARE Contract Drop-In TODAY

note time change

Memorial Info Table

May 18 (Wednesday), noon-1:30 pm

outside the amphitheater

Don’t forget to join SHARE organizers today to talk about the upcoming negotiations with UMass Memorial. Share what matters most to you, learn how you can help advocate for a strong contract, and pick up a pin to show your support.

Stop by and pick up pins for yourself and your co-workers . . . UMass Memorial works because SHARE Members do!

SHARE Contract Drop-Ins

Join us as we ready for Contract Negotiations!

Stop by and pick up pins for yourself and your co-workers . . . UMass Memorial works because SHARE Members do!

Join us in-person, virtually, or over the phone to talk about the upcoming negotiations with UMass Memorial. Share what matters most to you, learn how you can help advocate for a strong contract, and pick up a pin to show your support.

Memorial info table

May 18 (Wednesday), 11:30a-1p

outside the amphitheater

University info table 

May 26th (Friday), 11:30a-1p

hallway by Prescription Center

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Zoom Information Meeting

Thurs 5/19, 11:30a-1:00p

— or —

Phone: 1 646 558 8656 // Meeting ID: 850 8466 6514 // Passcode: 444 290

If you’ve got a camera, we’d love to see you live at the virtual meeting. Either way, please feel free to bring your lunch and your questions, and invite your co-workers. This will be a rolling, informal meeting where we’ll repeat the high points throughout and gear the talk toward the group on-hand.

We’ll continue to schedule Information Meetings through the entire negotiation process. If you’d like to set up a meeting at a time and place that works for you and your co-workers, call the SHARE office (508-929-4020, extension 10) and leave a message.

Vaccine Information Session Today

Covid Vaccine Information Session

Don’t forget! Today is the second session in which Dr. Kimi Kobayashi will answer SHARE members’ questions about COVID vaccine medical safety. Find more detail about these Information Meetings here. Today’s Zoom conversation will take place from 4:30pm-5:30pm. Join us using the button below.

Last week, SHARE members put a variety of questions to Dr. Kobayashi. Some expressed central concerns about vaccine safety, while others got into specific detail about reproductive health, the reliability of the current science, adverse event reporting, and more. You can email your COVID vaccine questions for Dr. Kobayashi in advance, or submit them in real-time at today’s session.

SHARE maintains that members should not lose their jobs due to vaccination status and should be safe from COVID when they come to work. The hospital currently maintains that employees will only be exempted from receiving the vaccine with an approved religious or medical request. As we anticipate further guidance from the federal government regarding the national vaccine mandate, we continue to negotiate the impact of the hospital mandate on members.

Two Reminders: Info Session Today, Exemption Deadline Sunday

Covid Vaccine Information Session

Don’t forget! Today is the first session in which Dr. Kimi Kobayashi will answer SHARE members’ questions about COVID vaccine medical safety concerns. Find more detail about these Information Meetings here. Today’s Zoom conversation will take place from noon to 1pm. Join us using the button below.

SHARE maintains that members should not lose their jobs due to vaccination status and should be safe from COVID when they come to work. As we anticipate further guidance from the federal government regarding the national vaccine mandate, we continue to negotiate the impact of the hospital mandate on members. The hospital currently maintains that employees will only be exempted from receiving the vaccine with an approved religious or medical request, which is due this Sunday.

Covid Vaccine Exemption Form Deadline

Here’s what UMass Memorial Hospital has to say: “Caregivers must submit all requests for religious or medical exemptions from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday, October 10, 2021. Access the medical exemption request form and the religious exemption request form on the Hub. Caregivers who are not exempted must have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by Monday, :November 1, 2021. The COVID-19 vaccination is being offered through clinics and through Employee Health Services, all by appointment only. Visit the Hub's caregiver COVID-19 vaccine page to learn more and book your appointment. If you have trouble accessing a computer and need assistance booking an appointment, call 508-334-2621.”

SHARE Hosts COVID Vaccine Q&A with Dr. Kimi Kobayashi

Thursday, October 7th, Noon- 1:00 pm

—and—

Tuesday, October 14th, 4:30-5:30 pm

Dr. Kimi Kobayashi, Physician & UMass Memorial Chief Quality Officer

SHARE members are invited to virtual question & answer sessions with Dr. Kimi Kobayashi. He will be joining us to discuss the COVID vaccine. Dr. Kobayashi, a physician who specializes in internal medicine and drug safety, will answer questions from SHARE members about their concerns. This discussion will focus on the science of the vaccine, and of the disease itself.

You can join either session by clicking the red button above, or by using the Zoom login information at the end of this post.

get answers to your questions

If you have questions you would like Dr. Kobayashi to answer, please send them to SHARE in advance by email. We will provide them to him ahead of time so he can be prepared to answer. There may also be time during the sessions to take additional questions.

At these sessions, we won’t be talking about the process, or what happens if a SHARE member declines to get the COVID vaccine. These COVID Vaccine Info Meetings are to give SHARE members the opportunity to ask their medical and safety questions, and to hear the hospital’s response.

About the Vaccine Mandate

The SHARE leadership continues to negotiate with the hospital about the impact of its mandate on members. We expect the forthcoming Federal guidelines will override some of the ideas the hospital and the union have discussed, but our union maintains that an employee should not lose their livelihood as a result of their vaccination status, and that all SHARE members should be safe from COVID when they come to work.

Full Zoom Info

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87139164533?pwd=dGV2T3U1aVpUQWtwaGxrTlY0MlE5dz09

Meeting ID: 871 3916 4533

Passcode: 965914

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,87139164533#,,,,*965914# US (Chicago)

+19292056099,,87139164533#,,,,*965914# US (New York)

Dial by your location

        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Rep & Eboard Election Results (Plus, Learn About Your Pension!)

Many thanks to all of you who sent in contact information, let us know your preferred voting method, nominated your coworker, or nominated yourself in our first ever attempt at an electronic election of SHARE Reps and Executive Board Members!

The nomination process went smoothly, and there were enough open positions that no voting will be required this year. A vote is only held when there are more people running than there are positions to run for. So, we won’t get to try out the online voting process this year. But the good news is that many people stepped forward to be active in SHARE, and that makes our union stronger.

Congratulations to the new and returning SHARE representatives, who are now considered elected! Visit the SHARE hospital website for an updated list of all current SHARE Reps and Executive Board members. If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thank you,

The SHARE Election Committee

p.s., Be sure to check the blog for details about next week’s Virtual Pension & 401k Information Meetings. They’ll be held on Zoom Monday evening and Tuesday midday.

SHARE Members Information Meeting: About MGB

Why SHARE Opposes Mass General Brigham Expansion in Westborough

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Noon-12:30 & 12:30-1:00

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85231547713

Or dial-in: 301-715-8592 and enter meeting ID: 85231547713

“I hope people get fired up about this. A big new shiny building isn’t going to necessarily be better or give you good care. A sparkling waiting room isn't going to give you good care. Marlborough Hospital is a small community hospital. We don't have big parking garages, you don’t have to pay to park. You’re greeted at the door when you come in, even before COVID. We play a vital role in the community, and we serve an under-served part of the community. It would be a shame if MGB came into town, because I worry that we would have to close eventually.” — Melissa Green, Surgical Technologist & Member of the SHARE Executive Board at Marlborough Hospital

Join us to talk about why SHARE Executive Boards at both Marlborough Hospital and the Medical Center voted to oppose the huge clinic complex that Mass General Brigham (MBG) is proposing to build in Westborough. The MGB complex could threaten SHARE jobs, increase the cost of our health insurance, and hurt the finances of our safety net hospitals. Read more here.

SHARE leaders will be among many to testify at the DPH hearing against the proposal on April 6th and provide written testimony after. UMass Memorial and numerous local mayors, city councilors, community groups, state reps, healthcare providers and chambers of commerce are testifying against the proposal because they don’t think it would be good for healthcare and citizens in Central Mass.

Join us Wednesday during your lunch break to hear more, and to find out how you can put in your two cents to help stop the new MGB clinics in Westborough.

p.s., In case you missed it, check out SHARE’s post and links to the Chronicle episode on WCBV Channel 5 that was dedicated entirely to UMass Memorial caregivers’ work during the pandemic