Flu Vaccine: SHARE Questions and Answers, Part 1

SHARE leaders met recently with Drs. Kimi Kobayashi (Chief Quality Officer) and Richard Ellison (Hospital Epidemiologist) to ask them some of the questions that SHARE members have been asking us about the flu vaccine and the new mandatory vaccination policy.

Why isn’t Wearing a Mask Enough?

Employees who declined the flu vaccine in the past had to wear a mask throughout flu season. Why isn’t that enough now?

• Like COVID, people can be contagious with the flu before they have symptoms. Wearing a mask decreases the chances that a caregiver will give a patient or co-worker the virus, but it does not fully prevent that possibility. There is no “silver bullet” for preventing the transmission of the flu. The more preventive measures that are layered on top of each other, the better: wearing a mask, proper hand hygiene, staying home if you feel sick, and getting the flu vaccine. Any one of those measures helps, but employing all four is most effective, just as wearing a seatbelt, having airbags and driving the speed limit each decrease risk, but doing all three measures is safest.

• The flu vaccine reduces the risk of transmission if you take off your mask at work, like to eat in the break room. It also protects you from getting or sharing the flu outside of work.

• The flu vaccine helps your immune system fight any flu virus – even if you get infected by a flu virus not included in this year’s flu vaccine. Your body will be better able to fight it, so if you do catch it, it will make you less sick, and less at risk of getting so ill that you need to be hospitalized.

• The combination of COVID and influenza this year could make everything worse in healthcare. The hospital may need every caregiver to be healthy this winter, so they can be at work taking care of patients.

We asked about Ingredients in the flu vaccine that UMass Memorial is using:

Are there preservatives in the vaccine?

No. There are no preservatives in these vaccines. They are all single doses, so preservative is unnecessary.

Are there metals/adjuvants in the vaccine?

No. There are no adjuvants or metals in these vaccines.

Is there an option for those who are allergic to eggs, or vegan?

Yes. Standard Flu vaccine is grown in chicken eggs. Employee Health has a limited supply of Flu Blok for those who need it, which is not grown in eggs. Reach out to them for details.

What if I’m older?

A high dose vaccine is available for older caregivers over the age of 65, but it’s optional.

How effective is this year’s influenza vaccine?

We won’t know until we’re two thirds of the way through the flu season. Each year the flu vaccine is created with the experts’ best guess of the flu viruses that will be around this year, based on which ones are around during the summer in the southern hemisphere.

Is UMass Memorial the only hospital in Massachusetts mandating that caregivers get the flu vaccine?

SHARE leaders asked which hospitals in Massachusetts have made the decision to require flu vaccine among their employees.

In addition to Partners, management listed Children’s Hospital, Lahey and Tufts. We have also heard that Reliant and St. V’s are moving that direction, too. In 2018, MNA nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston challenged their hospital's flu vaccine mandate; a superior court judge denied the nurses' request. Management says UMass Memorial is one of the last systems in the state to require the vaccine.

In addition, Governor Baker has mandated flu vaccines for public school students, and for workers in long-term care facilities.

What about medical exemptions?

A very small number of people react strongly to the flu vaccine. Employees seeking a medical exception should submit a letter from their doctor to Employee Health describing their prior reaction to a flu vaccine. There is also an exemption form to make this process easier that can be obtained from Employee Health.

How would we handle a new COVID vaccine in the future?

Some SHARE members who are reassured by the decades of research showing the flu vaccine to be safe and effective nevertheless worry that this new policy will mean that a new COVID vaccine will be made mandatory down the road. Everyone is concerned that any new COVID vaccine be fully tested and safe. SHARE leaders told UMass Memorial that it’s important to SHARE members that we agree to a thorough discussion, joint research, transparency and negotiation about making any new COVID vaccine mandatory in the future. (Stay tuned.)

UMass Memorial leaders made it clear that they would have to know a lot more about any possible new COVID vaccine before having any opinion about this. They worry about the opposite problem: When there is an effective vaccine, there won’t be enough doses for everyone who wants to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and that we’ll face hard decisions about who should get it first.

What about all my other questions, such as whether this applies to those who are working from home?

SHARE is still working with HR around a number of these issues – stay tuned, and if you have a question or concern, please reach out and let us know!

Stop the Spread: Free Community COVID Testing Available, and Volunteers Needed!

UMass Memorial is staffing free COVID testing at locations in the community. SHARE has offered to help spread the word that they need volunteers to help run the events: providers to swab and people to register. Training is provided, and so is PPE, water and snacks. People who have volunteered say that they personally found it very rewarding work. Get a free COVID test while you are there!

• For more information about when and where the COVID testing is offered, click here.

• Anyone with a clinical background (PCAs, LPNs, Respiratory Therapists, Rad Techs, etc) are encouraged to sign up in a provider slot. These are 2-hour shifts, plus arriving 15 minutes early to get trained. For the provider sign-up schedule, click here.

• Everyone is welcome to volunteer as a registrar! The shifts are 4-hours each, plus a 1 hour training beforehand for the first time you do it, and they ask you to arrive 30 minutes early for shifts after that. For the registration sign-up schedule, click here.

Face Shields Available for SHARE Members

Donated by Worcester Face Shield Project 

Donations made it possible for these high quality face shields to be donated free to first responders and healthcare workers in Worcester, including SHARE members. On Friday, October 23rd, organizers will distribute the 500 shields SHARE received at the SHARE office. If you or your department needs face shields please send us an email to make arrangements to pick them up that day, or to make other arrangements.  

Learn more about the local artisans at The Worcester Face Shield Project who found a way to help during the COVID crisis: 

WCVB 5 news clip 

Boston 25 News clip  

Worcester Telegram article 

UMass Memorial Changes Employee Assistance Provider

UMass Memorial has decided to change who provides Employees Assistance to employees. In the past, the Medical School EAP also served hospital employees. Now, the hospital will be contracting with an outside company to provide the service.  

The hospital did not ask for SHARE’s input before this change. SHARE organizers have worked closely with the counselors at the Medical School EAP to make sure that SHARE members who were having a tough time got the help that they needed, and we trust them. 

The EASE fund will continue to be available for SHARE members to apply for financial help, though it will no longer be administered by the Medical School EAP. 

What Do You Think about the Change?

Did you ever use the services at EAP? If so, we’d love to know what you thought of the help you got. All answers are anonymous.  

[Really Quick SHARE Survey about EAP] 

We would also be very interested to hear about your experiences with the new EAP service. We recognize and respect that staff sometimes work through very personal and private issues with EAP counselors, and, at the same time, want to be sure that SHARE members are well-supported. If you’re willing to share, we would appreciate your help understanding how the new system is working.

The New EAP

Optum is the new company – they are a national company, serving employers all over. We are told they have local counselors available. You can scroll down to the hospital’s announcement for a summary of their services, and find all of the services they offer on their website. Here’s their contact information:  

Online: www.LiveandWorkWell.com, Company Code: umassmemorial 

Mobile device: Visit the above website for instructions on downloading the app.  

By telephone: 866-263-3525 

UMass Memorial’s Announcement

In case you missed it, here’s the memo from the hospital to staff announcing the new Employee Assistance Program:

TO:                  All Caregivers at UMass Memorial Health Care

FROM:            Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health Care

DATE:             September 16, 2020

SUBJECT:      Introducing Our New Employee Assistance Program, Powered by Optum 

Now more than ever, it is a top priority at UMass Memorial Health Care to have resources in place to care for our caregivers. From the residual stress of the COVID-19 crisis, to heavy workloads caused by our recovery efforts, from dramatic changes to our home lives caused by the pandemic, to general uncertainty about what the future might hold, we all are dealing with a most unusually challenging time. Fortunately, we have the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place to offer a wide variety of services to support all of our caregivers in their times of need.

Starting October 1, we will be partnering with a new EAP provider that will be delivered by Optum and will take the place of our existing EAP providers for all UMass Memorial entities, bringing all EAP services under one partner for consistency across the system. Remember that EAP services are provided free to all UMass Memorial caregivers and their family members, with complete confidentiality, just as you’ve experienced with our other EAP services.

Through the EAP, employees can easily connect with benefits, which include:

One-on-One Counseling. You’ll have access to up to five face-to-face sessions per incident per year with a counselor within the Optum network of over 215,000 providers nationwide — in person, over the phone or via virtual visits. Optum also provides free access to Talkspace, which allows you to video chat with one of over 5,000 providers. With Talkspace, you can access therapy within hours of choosing your provider and receive support via messages 24/7.Support in Times of Need. Contact the Optum EAP for assistance in finding legal and financial support or resources and information to help you care for a child or adult dependent. They can also help with parenting advice or assist with getting you a discount on your night on the town to unwind.Helpful Resources at Your Fingertips. Unlimited access to online information, articles and other tools through the Optum Live and Work Well website or app.

Below are more details about how you and your family members can access all the great resources from the EAP. I hope you will take advantage of all that Optum EAP has to offer, especially if you find yourself navigating a personal or health crisis. We all need help sometimes. Together, we can take care of ourselves so we can better care for the people who depend on us.

Access the EAP Today

Online: www.LiveandWorkWell.com, Company Code: umassmemorial

Mobile device: Visit the above website for instructions on downloading the app.

By telephone: 866-263-3525

TDD: 866-216-9926

Questions? For questions or more information about the EAP, email  myhealthmatters@umassmemorial.org.

SHARE Blog Digest: 2020 Raises, Participating in SHARE, and More

2020 Raise

SHARE members are now receiving the third (of four) raises in our current contract. Year 3 (effective 9/27/20) equals 1% Across-the-Board raise (“ATB”), PLUS platform movement of 1.93%, OR a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater. Read this post for more detail about the raise, which includes tools to help you calculate your own.

Get Active with SHARE

Although SHARE Elections have been postponed until Spring of 2021 due to COVID, SHARE encourages you to get involved . . . to help our union keep moving forward and making a difference. Read more in this update about our union’s elected leaders and other SHARE roles.

Kona Enders, SHARE’s First Frontline Leader Fellow

This month we welcomed our first SHARE Frontline Leader Fellow, Kona Enders. This is a new program designed to provide SHARE leaders with an opportunity to learn more about SHARE’s approach to organizing people and solving problems.  Kona has worked as a PCA on 3 West at the University campus for seventeen years, where she has long been recognized as a strong advocate for her patients and coworkers.  Learn more about Kona and the Fellowship.

ICYMI: UMass Memorial Surge Preparations in the News

In case you missed it, the Telegram & Gazette recently reported on the ways that UMass Memorial is preparing for a potential combined-surge of Flu and COVID patients in the coming weeks, especially its efforts to stockpile PPE.

Register to Vote!

There’s still time to register to vote in the November 3rd election. If you live in Massachusetts, you can register on-line (if you have a MA driver’s license) or by mail. The deadline is October 24th.

For info about how to vote in other states, click here.

The SHARE Union urges members to vote. To see our parent union AFSCME’s perspective on the upcoming election, click here.

Get Active in Your SHARE Union

Our union is strongest and most effective when members are connected and participating. If you are not already active with SHARE, we invite you to consider getting more involved. Please email or call SHARE if you would like to:

• Volunteer to be more active in SHARE

• Recommend a co-worker

• Get more information about what it would mean to be active in SHARE

• Ask questions or express concerns about this process

Elected Leadership Positions

We usually have nominations for SHARE Reps and Executive Board Members every year in the spring. SHARE union leaders are nominated and elected by SHARE members. They work closely with the SHARE organizing staff and do many different things to keep our union strong.

In short, SHARE’s Executive Board (or "EBoard"), including the four officers, makes decisions about the direction of our union, and participates in contract negotiations. They are elected for two-year terms. They have responsibility for the whole union, and each board member is responsible for a few hundred members in their area. 

SHARE Representatives (or "Reps") serve as the contact person for their area. They are elected for one-year terms. There is roughly one Rep for every fifty SHARE members. Some Reps are trained to help co-workers solve problems in the workplace.

In addition to the currently-elected Reps, several former Reps and unofficial Reps help members in their area keep up-to-date about current SHARE news, and help their co-workers find helpful SHARE resources.

If there are more candidates than positions, then we hold an election.

2020 Elections Postponed

This year, because of the COVID pandemic, that did not happen on time. We have two choices. The one we think makes the most sense is to wait until next spring and go through our normal  nomination process then. With this option, we would make sure that there is an opportunity for SHARE members to get involved new even without a formal nomination. We would invite any SHARE member who would like to be active in SHARE, or be more active than they are now, to let us know, and we would work with them to get the training they need. We would ask also people who are currently SHARE Reps and Executive Board Members to remain in their positions until May 2021, if they are willing.

The other option would be to open nominations now, in the fall, and then again in the spring. With this option, then we would hold our regular nomination and election process now. Reps who were elected would have a 6 month term, and then be up for election again in the spring. Executive Board Members would be elected for partial terms as well. The election would be held by mail.

Either way, we would like to have members from every area active in SHARE.

Again, please email or call SHARE to volunteer yourself or recommend a coworker to be more active in SHARE, to get more information about being active in SHARE, or if you have questions or concerns about this process.

How Do I Find My Raise?

SHARE members are now receiving the third (of four) raises in our current contract. Year 3 (effective 9/27/20) equals 1% Across-the-Board raise (“ATB”), PLUS platform movement of 1.93%, OR a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater. Read on for more detail about the raise, which includes tools to help you calculate your own.

WHAT ARE PAY GRIDS?

Our employer uses a common form of pay structure to arrange the hourly pay rates for SHARE members. The pay grid sets a minimum and maximum hourly rate, otherwise known as a “min” and a “max,” for employees in all SHARE job classifications.

Over the years, SHARE and UMass Memorial have worked to make the pay grids transparent and predictable. The pay grid is designed as a series of “platforms.” These platforms are intended to recognize a person’s work experience in the field, and to help her make financial progress as she grows in her job. In our contract agreements, we have agreed to ensure that each SHARE member makes no less than what’s deemed appropriate for her years of experience.

WHAT ARE THE TWO PARTS OF THE RAISE?

The SHARE raise includes two components:

• the “Across-the-Board” (or ATB), and

• the “Platform Movement”

The ATB is provided to all SHARE members; it’s the part of the raise that’s designed to keep employees from losing ground against inflation and the market. The Platform Movement is designed to recognize service to our hospital, and to allow SHARE members to make consistent financial progress.

If you’re working to understand your raise by looking at the pay grid, you can see the ATB raise by moving across a platform from your current pay. To see the additional Platform movement, you would then move down a platform. (See “How to Calculate My Raise,” above.)

Click the button at the top of the page — or this image — to view, download, or print the full worksheet to calculate your raise.

The button below links to the pay rate grids for all SHARE positions

WHAT IS THE “FLOOR” DESCRIBED IN THE RAISE?

Most SHARE members would be happy with a one percent raise . . . if their base pay was a million dollars per year. When raises are set as a percentage of base pay, it disadvantages the person who makes a lower hourly rate. To offset this, we’ve made an agreement that the smallest raise that a SHARE member can get is 60 cents per hour. For some SHARE members, 60 cents equated to a 4.5% raise.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY RAISE IS 2.95% OR IF IT’S THE $.60/HOUR FLAT RATE?

It’s whichever number is bigger for you, based on your current pay rate.

WHAT IS “MAX?”

If you’ve worked in a SHARE job for very many years, you may know that the SHARE union and our employer have had different beliefs about members’ “maximum” pay amount. In our 2016 Contract, we negotiated a new kind of compromise about the Max, one that has been more satisfying among seasoned SHARE members. We’ll describe more about that in the following answers. Now, the Max applies only to new-hires to SHARE; it’s the highest amount a new member can be paid, regardless of their prior experience.

WHAT IS THE “MAX CAP?”

In our 2016 Contract, we reached an agreement with management that changed how Max would be handled. We both agreed that SHARE members could have the full raise applied to their base, even if they were beyond the Max. We made a new compromise, which set a new, higher limit on the amount that a member could make in her hourly rate. This new limit is called the “Max Cap.”

As SHARE’s agreement with the hospital describes: “The max cap is a hard stop.” It’s the highest amount that an employee can make in her base rate. Of course, from SHARE’s perspective, the amount of the Max Cap will need to increase. We will negotiate future increases to the Max Cap with the hospital.

WHAT IS THE “LONGEVITY ZONE?”

Although this term is not in our contract, it is how we in SHARE refer to the difference between the Max and the Max Cap. There are no pay platforms between Max and the Max Cap. No employees are hired or slotted above the Max. However, SHARE members whose raises fall into this range have their entire raise applied to their base pay rate.

WHY IS THERE A MAX?

Typically in this kind of structure, once an employee reaches the top of her grade, she’s ineligible to get an increase to her base rate beyond usual standard-of-living increases. There’s a limit to how much an employer will have to pay each hourly employee. This obviously helps employers project and cap their labor costs over time, and frustrates employees. The “max” implies that, at some point, the skills and experience that an employee brings to work reach a limit.

WHAT DOES SHARE THINK ABOUT MAX?

SHARE maintains that there’s ongoing, continuous value to the experience each member brings to our hospital. We believe that an employee’s value to our hospital grows over time. The longer a person works in our hospital, the more relationships they can develop, and the more institutional memory they carry. There’s no limit to that. So why would that not be reflected in ongoing raises?

HOW DID “MAX” WORK BEFORE?

Before we invented the Max Cap (i.e. when there was only a max), employees at the Max would receive the negotiated ATB increase to the max hourly rate. The remaining amount of any negotiated increase (i.e. platform movement) was paid out as a bonus. Although the money didn’t all go into the member’s base pay and compound over time, they did receive the raise. It was the best compromise we could reach at the time.

When a member was approaching the max (i.e. their ATB and/or platform increase would result in their pay rate surpassing the max), their pay rate stopped at the max and any remaining increase was paid in a lump sum.

HOW DOES THE MAX CAP WORK?

The arrangement we previously made regarding Max now applies to the Max Cap.

• When a member is already at the max cap at the time of any ATB and/or platform increase, their pay rate shall increase only to the extent that the max cap itself increases; any increase beyond the max cap will be paid in a lump sum.

• When a member is approaching the max cap (i.e. their ATB and/or platform increase would result in their pay rate surpassing the max cap), their pay rate will stop

Don’t forget! Raise time can be a great time to set aside more money in your 401(k), and get even more benefit from the employer’s match. If you have questions, or would like help calculating your raise, please call or email the SHARE office.

Kona Enders, SHARE’s First Frontline Leader Fellow

This month we welcomed our first SHARE Frontline Leader Fellow, Kona Enders.  Kona has worked as a PCA on 3 West at the University campus for seventeen years, where she has long been recognized as a strong advocate for her patients and coworkers.  She’s served as a union rep for most of that time, and recently joined the Labor Management Partnership Council. 

Kona with SHARE Organizer Will Erickson

We developed our Frontline Leader Fellowship to provide SHARE leaders with an opportunity to become more deeply oriented to SHARE’s approach to organizing people and solving problems.  Fellows will spend a month with the SHARE staff, accompanying organizers to meetings and events and helping to keep in touch with members, as well as receiving training in topics like de-escalation, process improvement, and time management.  To help us ramp up and knock out the kinks, Kona will split her time between 3 West and SHARE, extending the fellowship to two months.  It’s a new idea, and we’re grateful to Kona for showing her typical courage in agreeing to be our first participant. 

One of things you’re most likely to hear people say in describing Kona is her capacity say sometimes hard things to people, whoever they are – she’s reminded more than one doctor to foam their hands or keep their voice down.  But somehow even when she’s calling you out, it feels like a gift.  “My mother always said you have to speak your truth, but in a respectful way,” she explains.

This Spring and Summer, Kona worked exclusively with patients battling Covid-19.  “It was scary,” she says of the experience.  “And it was really difficult – they were so sick.”  You can read more about her experience here.

Kona grew up in Liberia before following her older brother to Central Massachusetts.  She has an adult daughter who also works in health care, and lives with her husband in North Worcester.  If you see Kona in the hallway or are lucky enough to get a call from her checking in on you, please thank her for taking on this new challenge!

SHARE-UMass Memorial Statement about Flexibility in the Times of COVID

 “Flexibility is to the mutual benefit of employees and the employer. It helps to address operational work flow needs, and family needs.”     – SHARE-UMass Memorial contract, page 68 

When that contract language was written, no one had any idea about what we would be facing 20 years later with this COVID pandemic. It’s been said often: These are unprecedented times. In addition to all the changes that the COVID pandemic has brought to our hospital, we now must cope with the changes lots of schools are making for the Fall. Remote learning and a whole variety of school schedules are the most recent entirely unpredictable piece of the COVID crisis. 

SHARE and UMass Memorial Medical Center are discussing how to help employees, keep valuable employees, and keep the hospital running. It’s in everyone’s interest to find ways to help SHARE members be both good workers and good parents, and to limit the spread of the Coronavirus.   

We are encouraging departments use all the flexibility in their control to try to make this work for as many SHARE members and departments as possible.  The identification of different solutions for different employees is based on the individual employee and the department’s needs without regard for a workforce member’s race, color, national origin, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected status. 

Goals to Be Balanced 

Let’s be clear about the goals that we are trying to achieve, though how to balance them may not be easy in some situations: 

• Operational needs of the department – getting the work done 

• Work security – keeping SHARE members working despite the COVID challenges 

• Safety – social distancing, preventing the spread of the virus 

• Fairness – Balancing needs of all employees in the department.   

Guiding Principles for How to Approach a Problem 

• Flexibility: The more we can empower departments to offer flexibility, the more likely we are to find solutions that work for individuals and the whole department. (See ideas below.) 

• Creativity is encouraged: If your department can come up with an unusual solution that works for everyone and gets the work done, more power to you! Senior leaders in the hospital are encouraging flexibility, though they do need to know how departments are solving problems. 

• Transparency: When everyone understands what the problem is and what the limitations are, they are more likely to be able to come up with a solution and understand why a change is a good idea. 

• SHARE members having a say is key.  Working things out together as a department allows people to volunteer to help in ways that work for them. Two heads (or twelve) are better than one when looking for ideas and suggestions. 

• Not One Size Fits All: Different people may need different kinds of help or flexibility. Every department is different. Solutions for lower income employees may be different than those for higher income employees.  

• Getting help: SHARE Organizers and Reps and Human Resources Business Partners are happy to help and can escalate the department’s issues when needed. 

There may be times when an implemented solution to a problem no longer meets the needs of the department/team and SHARE member.  When this happens, the manager should discuss with the appropriate HR Business Partner and SHARE Organizer and Rep. 

Flexibility Ideas that Might Help 

This is a list of possible items that could be changed to help an employee and department deal with a problem related to COVID and/or Child Care. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list.  

• Decreasing or increasing hours: Could be permanent or temporary. Others in the department may want to pick up extra time or decrease time in a way that adds up to a solution for the department. 

• Work from Home: We encourage departments to look with a fresh eye at what tasks can be done from home. Work from Home is functioning quite well in a variety of departments already. Perhaps 2 SHARE members could split the week so that each could work from home on the days their child is learning remotely.  

• Change to working days or hours: It could be moving from days to evenings to accommodate schooling needs or changing start and end times. If someone is working from home, perhaps the flexibility to accomplish 8 hours of work across 10 hours would help, if the work does not need to be done at a certain time. Or some employees may want to work more on the weekend.  

• Juggling tasks: Co-workers could swap tasks, to make the timing or work from home possible. Everyone needs to be involved in that conversation, so no one feels “dumped on.” 

• Bringing (older) kids to work is usually not possible but has worked in some areas in a pinch. 

• Technological Solutions: IS has been asked to help where technology is limiting flexibility, such as with phone systems that allow working from home. Please escalate these issues so that we can find a solution if possible.  

• Job Sharing: See page 60 in the SHARE-UMass Memorial contract for guidelines. 

• Extra staff: Float pool or temporary staff could help. 

If your department comes up with ideas to add to this list, please let us know so that we can share them with others! 

SHARE Updates: Childcare, Vaccines, Engagement Survey, and Raises

Happy Anniversary

SHARE is turning 23! Who would have imagined, back when we voted for our union, in September 1997, where we’d be today? We’re looking forward to more sticking together, whatever lies ahead.

Childcare Concerns 

The school year is here, and this year’s unconventional schooling will affect many SHARE families, as well as staffing throughout the hospital. SHARE is involved in the Child Care Task Force that UMass Memorial management set up, and we are having additional discussions about how to help SHARE members. 

SHARE has emphasized flexibility and innovation. Senior management is telling department level managers that it’s OK to try new things in order to help SHARE members in this complicated COVID situation. 

See more about childcare -- including SHARE’s recommendations -- in this post. 

UMass Memorial Flu Vaccine Requirement 

SHARE is currently gathering questions and concerns from members about the hospital’s new flu vaccine mandate. If you have input that you’d like to include in this conversation, please contact your SHARE organizer, email share.comment@theshareunion.org, or call the SHARE office (508-929-4020).  

COVID Vaccine Trials at UMass Medical School Seeking Volunteers 

Are you interested in helping a vaccine trial? UMass Medical School is signing up volunteers for a Phase II/III clinical trial testing a vaccine to prevent infection from the Coronavirus. The vaccine has already passed Phase I testing for safety. UMass is part of a network of 120 centers that will enroll about 30,000 volunteers around the world. 

The Medical School plans to enroll several hundred volunteers. Half will receive the vaccine, and the other half will receive a placebo. It’s a “double-blind” study, meaning that neither the volunteers nor the researchers will know who gets which, in order to ensure valid results. 

For more information, check out this article on the Medical School’s website. 

Free Covid testing

The City of Worcester and UMass Memorial have announced a jointly-sponsored series of free COVID testing sessions around the city. The current list includes:

• Thursday, September 10, 1-5pm, Community Healthlink, Inc., 72 Jacques Ave, Worcester

• Monday, September 15, noon-4pm, Great Brook Valley, 19 Tacoma St, Worcester

• Wednesday, September 16, 2-6pm, Lady of Loreto Church, 33 Massasoit Rd, Worcester

• Thursday, September 17, 1-5pm, Community Healthlink, 72 Jacques Ave, Worcester

UMass Memorial Engagement Survey 

UMass Memorial is currently reporting department-level Engagement Survey results to employees. If you haven’t yet heard about your results and had an opportunity to discuss them, now’s a good time to ask your supervisor or manager. Figuring out how to improve the culture in your department may not be easy, but talking about these results is an important part of that process. The SHARE organizing staff is happy to help support you in these conversations. Our union’s mission involves continual work toward improving how it feels to come to work. Let’s help put this feedback — your own comments and experiences! — to good use.

SHARE Raise Effective 9/27/20

At the end of this month, SHARE members will receive the 3rd of the 4 raises in our current contract. And don’t forget! Raise time can be a great time to set aside more money in your 401(k), and get even more benefit from the employer’s match. Raise details below: 

• Wages Year 1 (effective 9/30/18): 1% ATB plus platform movement of 1.93%, or a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater. 

• Year 2 (effective 9/29/19): 1% ATB plus platform movement of 1.93%, or a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater. 

• Year 3 (effective 9/27/20): 1% ATB plus platform movement of 1.93%, or a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater. 

• Year 4 (effective 9/26/21): 1% ATB plus platform movement of 1.93%, or a $0.60/hour minimum raise, whichever is greater 

Any amount greater than Max Cap is paid as a bonus. Bonus = (bonus rate) x (hours paid in previous FY, including overtime).  

This raise is the only contractually negotiated change upcoming for SHARE members; you can find the full Contract Agreement online. 

Child Care and Flexibility for Fall 2020: SHARE Update

SHARE has been actively discussing the stories we are hearing from SHARE members about their struggles to work and care for children with the school schedules this fall. SHARE is involved in the Child Care Task Force that UMass Memorial management set up, and having additional discussions about how to help SHARE members.

SHARE has emphasized flexibility and innovation, urging senior management to tell department level managers that it’s OK to try new things in order to help SHARE members in this complicated COVID situation.

Carol Hehir, a Staff Organizer who has been representing SHARE on the child care task force with the hospital, has this to say about the process so far, “I’ve been impressed. We are all on the same page, trying to figure out how we can support employees. Of course, we have to keep the hospital running, but we are trying to come up with as many options to help people balance child care and work as possible.”

Here are some of the ideas SHARE has been promoting:

Goals to be Balanced

Let’s be clear about the goals that we are trying to take into account, though how to balance them may not be easy in some situations:

• Operational needs of the department – getting the work done

• Work security – keeping SHARE members working in spite of the COVID challenges

• Safety – social distancing, preventing the spread of the virus

• Fairness – Balancing needs of all employees in the department.

Guiding Principles for How to Approach a Problem

• Flexibility: The more we can empower departments to offer flexibility, the more likely we are to find solutions that work for individuals and the whole department. (See ideas below.)

• Creativity is encouraged: If your department can come up with an unusual solution that works for everyone and gets the work done, more power to you!

• Transparency: When everyone understands what the problem is and what the limitations are, they are more likely to be able to come up with a solution, to understand why a change is a good idea. We’re urging management to communicate early and often.

• SHARE members having a say is key. Working things out together as a department allows people to volunteer to help in ways that work for them. Two heads (or twelve) are better than one when looking for ideas and suggestions.

• Not One Size Fits All: Different people may need different kinds of help or flexibility. Every department is different. Solutions for lower income employees may be different than those for higher income employees.

• Getting help: SHARE Organizers and Reps are happy to help, and can escalate the department’s issues when needed.

Innovating Ideas that Might Help

This is a list of possible items that could be changed to help an employee and department deal with a problem related to COVID and/or Child Care. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list.

• Decreasing or increasing hours: Could be permanent or temporary. Others in the department may want to pick up extra time, or decrease time in a way that adds up to a solution for the department.

• Work from Home: We encourage departments to look with a fresh eye at what tasks can be done from home. Work from Home is functioning quite well in a variety of departments already. Perhaps 2 SHARE members could split the week so that each could work from home on the days their child is learning remotely.

• Change of working days or hours: It could be moving from days to evenings to accommodate schooling needs, or changing start and end times. If someone is working from home, perhaps the flexibility to accomplish 8 hours of work across 10 hours would help, if the work does not need to be done at a certain time. Or some employees may want to work more on the weekend.

• Juggling tasks: Co-workers could swap tasks, to make the timing or work from home possible. Everyone needs to be involved in that conversation, so no one feels “dumped on.”

• Bringing (older) kids to work is usually not possible, but has worked in some areas in a pinch.

• Technological Solutions: IS has been asked to help where technology is limiting flexibility, such as with phone systems that allow working from home. Please escalate these issues so that we can find a solution if at all possible.

• Job Sharing: See page 60 in the SHARE-UMass Memorial contract for guidelines.

• Extra staff: Float pool or temporary staff could help.

Free COVID Testing & Flu Shot Event

TODAY: SHARE Info Meeting

What SHARE Members Said on the COVID Survey

and

Recommendations for a Second Surge

Tuesday, Noon-12:45

Zoom meeting, click here at the time of the meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84639191022?pwd=dXpaUnVGYVFQTHFNOUgrQzVlWjNGUT09;

Bring your thoughts and your questions, or just come to listen!

Back-to-School and Child Care: What Kind of Help Do SHARE Members Need?

SHARE is participating in the hospital’s child care task force, which is trying to figure out how to help UMass Memorial working families who are dealing with remote or hybrid school this fall. The task force needs to know what you need.

1. If you need child care support this fall, please fill out this short hospital survey

The survey focuses on what kind of child care you would need this fall so that you can work. The deadline is 5pm on August 28nd (Friday), so do it now!

2. If you have other ideas about what you need to support you and your family with school (like working from home, flexible hours, etc), please send them to: share.comment@theshareunion.org

Or contact your SHARE Organizer or Rep.

Ideas for How UMass Memorial Could

Support SHARE Members with Schooling this Fall

• UMass Memorial should focus on solutions to help for lower-income families especially.

• Different people may need different kinds of help. There’s no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

• Having a say and working things out together as a department are key.

Flexibility: The more we can empower departments to offer flexibility, the more likely they are to find solutions that work for individuals and the department. For example, a SHARE employee might want to go part-time to support their children doing remote learning, and departments should be encouraged to figure out if that can work (without dumping more work on other SHARE members).

Expand Work from Home: Working from home is working in many departments at UMass Memorial. We should encourage departments to allow work from home, and figure out where we need new technology to make that possible.

Help Getting Childcare: UMass Memorial should look at helping SHARE members afford additional child care they need because of remote or hybrid schooling this fall. We should also look at how to help connect employees with other resources they need

SHARE Info Meetings & End-of-Summer Updates

We hope this finds you well here at the end of the Dog Days of Summer. We hope to see many of you in the Information Meetings over the next couple of days. Read on for more details about those, as well as . . . 

• The SHARE COVID Survey results and recommendations to management, 

• Back-to-School considerations, 

• SHARE Member Spotlights, and 

• An FSA reminder 

SHARE Virtual Information Meetings 

Please join SHARE organizers online in the coming days to discuss the outcomes from the recent SHARE COVID survey, and to discuss the recommendations that we are currently making to hospital management about our hospital’s ongoing operations, including the preparations for a potential second surge of the coronavirus in Central Massachusetts. We have currently scheduled two sessions. Click the date below to log in automatically during the Zoom session: 

Wednesday, August 26th, 8:00-8:45 am 

Thursday, August 27th, 4:00-4:45  

SHARE COVID Survey Results 

In case you missed it, SHARE recently published a results-summary of the SHARE COVID Survey, along with our union’s recommendations to UMass Memorial.  

Work continues to be intense for many SHARE members. Many SHARE members have had very different experiences. Above all, we recognize the need to urge the hospital to: 

• Commit to job security and Health Insurance 

• Focus on PPE and safety 

• Focus on department leadership 

• Provide Hazard Pay 

• Continue and expand Work-from-Home arrangements 

• Create greater transparency and choice for Labor Pool deployments 

SHARE has categorized its specific recommendations in four groups, based on the feedback from members in these scenarios during the previous surge: 

• SHARE members who stayed in their regular job 

• SHARE members who were deployed in the Labor Pool 

• SHARE members who worked from home 

• SHARE members who were not at work 

Back-to-School Survey for UMass Memorial Employees 

If you have school age children in your home, SHARE encourages you to complete our hospital’s brief childcare survey. The hospital’s Childcare Task Force is currently working to rapidly develop strategies to help accommodate families and the new needs involved with remote schooling and increased limitations in childcare.   

Our impressions are promising: SHARE leaders involved on the Task Force report that the hospital seems to have a clear-eyed view of the challenges that families currently face, and how they could potentially affect staffing and patient care. The challenges are real, and the shared information can help us take care of the needs together.  

Labor Scholarship Awarded to High School Senior in SHARE Family 

SHARE is also pleased to congratulate Nancy Foskett, a SHARE member in the HIM department: her son Liam recently received a $1000 scholarship from the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO to recognize his academic performance as a student at South High and his essay on Labor History.  

SHARE’D Stories 

We continue to put the spotlight on more SHARE members and their experience of life during the pandemic in our SHARE’D Stories project. Most recently we’ve heard from Cancer Center PCA’s Tammy Berry and Kellie Morton and Single Billing Office representative Laurie Abernathy. 

FSA Reminder 

Don’t forget that, through August 31, you can make modifications to your Flex Spending Account (FSA). Putting aside money in an FSA is a great way to save the money you would have paid on taxes on out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

Congratulations to Our Union's Latest Scholarship Winner

Liam with SHARE Organizer Carol Hehir. The Scholarships are typically awarded during the annual Central Massachusetts Labor Day Breakfast. Since the breakfast is cancelled this year for social distancing reasons, Carol took the celebration on the road.

Congratulations to Liam Foskett, who recently received the $1000 Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship, a prize awarded to select rising college students in AFSCME families. Liam’s mother, Nancy Foskett, is a SHARE member in the HIM department.

Liam recently graduated from South High. This Fall, he will begin at Westfield State College, where he plans to major in English. Liam was required to write an essay about Labor History in his scholarship application, and he is grateful to all of the union members who have made this scholarship possible.

Keep your eye on the SHARE blog over the coming school year for more #scholarships. For other educational opportunities, including the ongoing AFSCME Free College program, check out posts tagged #education.

The SHARE Member Experience: COVID Survey Results

More than 1800 SHARE members answered the SHARE COVID Survey, giving a picture of all the different kinds of experiences SHARE members had in the Spring of 2020. It was an intense time: very scary for many people and a lot of hard work, mixed with some really positive experiences. Thank you as always for helping to keep our hospital and our union running strong through it all, and for describing your experience so that we can continue to learn and improve.

We encourage you to explore this link to the summary of the results:

SHARE COVID Survey Results

SHARE Leaders continue to give feedback to UMass Memorial senior management, in discussions that now focus on preparing for a possible second COVID surge. If you would like to talk to your SHARE Organizer about the report, your experiences, or thinking ahead, please send a message to one of us SHARE organizers listed below. Thank you.

carol.hehir@theshareunion.org

bobbi-jo.lewis@theshareunion.org

deb.largesse@theshareunion.org

deb.engvall@theshareunion.org

elisabeth.szanto@theshareunion.org

jana.hol@theshareunion.org

janet.wilder@theshareunion.org

kirk.davis@theshareunion.org

melissa.markstrom@theshareunion.org

will.erickson@theshareunion.org

SHARE Member Spotlights: Kellie Morton & Tammy Berry

Tammy Berry & Kellie Morton

PCA II’s, Cancer Center, June 2020 

Kellie:  It’s hard, because this is not the norm, but its going to be the new norm.  I have to say at the beginning of this it was definitely scary.  Then we all started pulling together and watching out for each other – our manager hasn’t really been able to be fully present here because of everything she’s got going on with this, which we understand, we don’t blame her for that.  And then things started to level out a little bit, we felt safer because of all these screeners and things downstairs.  We’ve been operating at 80%, our clinics, through this entire thing.  From what my manager told me, there’s been no transmissions whatsoever to staff here, or to other patients – so we’ve done an awesome job, working together.  There’s a lot that could have gone wrong that didn’t go wrong, and we’re very thankful for that.  But with all the increased volume from other clinics coming back, it’s a little scarier.   

Tammy: Telehealth has really changed the way we work a lot.  For one thing, it takes time, it takes a worker off the floor.  There’s a lot that goes into getting the patient ready for that appointment.  And some of these people have been locked up for a while, and they want to talk, know what I’m saying?  So while that coworker is tied up doing that it can get busy.  We work hard to get people out of those waiting rooms too, so they’re not sitting around near each other.   

K: I think what I’m going to remember about this time is the way we’ve really pulled together.  If we didn’t know for sure what was going on, we’d go to each other to make sure, are we doing the right thing, and we’ve gotten much stronger as a team.   Those of us who really wanted to connect with each other here at work, we really have.  So coming to work during this three month period, I felt safe being around everybody, being around people who knew exactly what was going on every day, the same way I felt, and then we could kind of work through it together.  Even without the managers being around so much.  I feel safe at work because I have confidence in my coworkers, in my team.  At least until they change things on us, and then there’s a scramble.  There’ve been moments that we all just totally broke down.  But there are people around you who say ‘Don’t worry.  Don’t worry.  We’re going to get through this.  We’ll get through it together.’  Yeah, we’re kind of all angry about some of the same things, but we’re also looking out for each other. 

T: Our patients are hanging in too, you know, they’re scared to come, and I mean they’ll tell you I am really scared to be here – I haven’t been out in months.  And we just reassure them, today a lady was like ‘can I touch that?’  In the room.  And I said ‘you can touch that, I clean this room like crazy when another person leaves, whatever you touch I’m cleaning right away.  It’s ok, you’re going to be ok here.’  I try to tell them that its good, you’re good here, but I don’t think they really want to come. 

K: A lot of the ones on my end are coming a couple times a week.  Almost every encounter since this began, anytime I left the room, I’ll say ok, be safe, stay safe.  And they’ll say right back to me – this has happened so many times – they’re all wishing me that I’ll be safe, and they are thanking us.  Constantly.  For being here.  They are scared for us.  I mean, these patients are going through an awful lot, and they are worrying about us.  They say thank you so much for being here, for all you do.  So many people say when this is all done I’m taking you all out to dinner, the whole staff, I’m taking you all out for dinner!  We have good patients!  And we get to know them really well. 

T: I try not to watch the news, but I know there are those people who think that this is a total conspiracy and that this isn’t real, and I’m like, come visit and see what’s happening around here.  I had a patient who said, ‘this mask stuff is crazy, this isn’t going on,’ and I said to him, ‘it is, and it’s very scary.’  I said to him, ‘do you want to come with me across to the hospital and then you can see the people on ventilators?’  He really didn’t believe it.  I made him wear his mask while he was here though.   

Click here to connect with more SHARE’D Stories!

K: Looking around me, around my neighborhood, all the drive by’s, I think people have gotten closer even though they can’t be together.  I’ve watched so many people drive down my street – this is an example, a gentleman worked for an asphalt paving company, and they had I don’t know how many tractor trailers drive to his house, I mean horns blaring, and it was awesome, I stood outside my house and I waved to them.  There was this parade of trucks and when they came back around past my house I was still out there waving.  That was just awesome that those guys did all that because they cared so much about that person.  Tammy’s grandkids did that to her too.   

T: They did.  And then my daughter turned thirty so I did that to her.  And then she told me that that was her best birthday ever, and I believe her – it showed that so many people cared about her and wanted to say happy birthday to her.  It’s special, its very special.  They’ve done it for me too, Easter, Mother’s Day, leaving presents for me at the end of my driveway. 

K: I miss hugging the most, cause I’m a hugger.  We’re both huggers!  That’s been the hardest thing!  It’s been so hard not to hug a patient, or touch them, you even see the doctors, patients will reach out to them and then pull back and say I’m sorry.  But that’s what they would normally do.  Having no contact has been really, really hard on a lot of people.  Even just a pat on the back, let me hold onto you for a second.  I mean, people are crying, they’re upset, and you want to touch them and all you can do is just stand in front of them.  It’s hard.  Then I go home and I’m next to my husband and I’m like, am I too close to you?  Ha!  Sometimes I find myself backing away and then I’m like wait a minute, we live together!   

Last Chance! Take the SHARE COVID Survey Today or Tomorrow!

Hi SHARE members,

SHARE is setting up meetings now to talk to management about will happen if the numbers of COVID patients go up again. We need to hear your thoughts, to make sure we have a full picture of SHARE members’ experiences. We will close the survey at midnight, Wednesday, July 15th.

Click here to take the SHARE COVID Survey

Click here to take the survey in Spanish

Many thanks to the 1500+ SHARE members who already filled out the SHARE COVID Survey! We’ve gotten lots of great comments and feedback so far.

SHARE will write a report of SHARE members’ responses, and send it to all SHARE members. 

—Janet, for SHARE

SHARE Member Spotlight: Laurie Abernathy, Collector, Single Billing Office

Laurie Abernathy 

Collector, Single Billing Office, 306 Belmont Street, 7/1/20

This has been a very challenging time in our lives because of the COVID pandemic. But because of the pandemic, my dream,  to work from home, has come true. I have been remotely working since mid-March.I work in the SBO ( single billing office) located at 306 Belmont St, our group  consists of over 400 employee’s, Customer Service, Physician, Hospital Billing, Payment Posting and several other departments.

Our management did a very good job of getting us out of the building and set up to work remotely quickly. There were glitches, especially in the first few weeks, but we worked together with IT  and got the issues resolved.   During the beginning of the transition , work  was a little more  stressful than normal, due to the fact that  information and processes were continually changing.  Our department had  daily Webex meetings, which  helped us  stay connected and get up to date information.  We also had a  SharePoint tab  created to share pictures of our workspace, and any other pictures that we wanted to share, they are pretty funny , some with cats stepping on  keyboards, or lying on the table near the workstations, It also helped to make us feel connected. Once things  smoothed out, It was easier to  concentrate on work.  I feel I have been more productive at home,  less distractions like phones ringing, hearing others’ conversations,  and of no  interruptions.  It has been comforting to be able to check in with my son during the day as he does his schoolwork,we  have time to eat together, and go for a walk more regularly.   Another factor that contributes to feeling more productive is that overall, I feel less stressed.  The  feeling of worrying that we’ve done all we need to do before leaving the house – dressing, breakfast, lunch making,  Do I have my phone?, Is there enough gas in the car?etc.  Then there’s the commute, whether you drive or take public transportation, you’re always worried about being on time.  Most  of that disappears while working remotely, and it creates a less hectic atmosphere about work.

Click here to connect with more SHARE’D Stories

The pandemic has changed the world, and  we are all wondering what the “new normal” will be.  I am hopeful that it will cause people to be more mindful of the present and appreciate what we have today, because tomorrow is not promised.