SHARE Members Vote to Accept Tentative Agreement

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.

Contract Voting Ends Today: Vote Locations & Vote Count Details

Final Day to Vote on the Tentative Agreement

Voting on SHARE’s Tentative Contract Agreement with UMass Memorial Hospital concludes today with voting at Hahnemann, the ACC building, and Memorial. Voting at these locations is open to all SHARE members. (Voting will also be held at 1 West Boylston will also be held for members there.) For detailed time and location information, please visit the Contract Ratification Calendar.

If you haven’t yet voted, we encourage you to do so. The SHARE Negotiating Team recommends that members vote YES! The current vote requires in-person voting. For more details about the Tentative Agreement, including how to calculate your raise, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions, please visit this section of the SHARE website dedicated to the 2022 Contract Vote.

Only SHARE members can vote. If you haven’t yet signed up, you can still join here or at the polls.

How to Watch the Vote Count

All ballots will be brought together for the final count at the Memorial 1 Conference Room. Counting will begin at 5pm. All SHARE members are invited to observe the vote count. The vote count will also be broadcast via Zoom. Link to the Vote Count Broadcast here.

What Happens After the Vote Count?

Results will be posted to the SHARE blog.

If more than half of SHARE members vote in favor of the tentative agreement, the new contract and raises will go into effect.

Although the Payroll department typically prepares to deliver raises as quickly as possible after we ratify a contract, it’s still likely to take a few weeks, and there would be some Retro.

If a majority of voters vote to reject the Tentative Agreement, then both negotiating teams would go back to the negotiating table and try again.

We wouldn’t exactly start from scratch – we've already spent a lot of time and energy understanding each other’s interests and positions – but the agreements we’ve made would be nullified. No raises would happen until another tentative agreement was reached and ratified by members.

SHARE’s previous tentative agreements with the hospital have always been ratified, so we would be developing entirely new strategies, working to understand members’ interests more deeply, and determining new ways to compel management to come to a more satisfying agreement.

Thank You

Thank you to the many SHARE members who have already cast your ballots. We know that many of you have already dedicated your time and even traveled to a SHARE site to make your voice heard.

The SHARE Negotiating Team does encourage you to vote “yes.” But it’s also still true that, more than anything, we simply urge 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. Every vote matters.

VOTING THIS WEEK: Your Guide to the Tentative Agreement & Contract Ratification

Have questions? Click the buttons below to find answers . . .

For this vote, SHARE members will be required to vote in person. But! You aren’t limited to vote in the building where you work . . . any member can vote at any open vote location.

Although those are the current rules, we appreciate that this can be difficult for employees who work from home, or who may be away from work during this time. We hope to see you in person! We look forward to catching up and being able to answer any questions you may have when you get to the polls.

Through SHARE information meetings, emails, and many, many conversations, SHARE leaders are answering lots of questions about the agreement and the vote. The above FAQ answers the most common ones.

In case you missed the Information Meetings (or if you’d like to refer back to that information), the above link reveals the slides that were presented.

The above link shows you how to find your raise under the proposed agreement, and provides the full set of pay ranges and platforms.

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.

SHARE encourages 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 has already made a real difference. Thank you! Let’s keep it going . . .   

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!