There are many questions circulating as a result of the recent layoffs at UMass Memorial. Those SHARE members who were given notice have each been paired with a SHARE Rep. The Rep will help them in the days and weeks ahead, until they have a new job, or other arrangement that suits them.

Those who have been laid off have also been given the FAQ below, which includes answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about SHARE's policies. Please contact us in the SHARE office (508-929-4020) if you would like to volunteer to take someone's place in the layoff, or if you have other questions.

I need a job and benefits - what help can I get?

SHARE and UMass Memorial are committed to working with you to find another job here if you want one. A laid-off employee has higher hiring priority than other internal candidates and will be provided with current job postings within the hospital system.

There are some open positions, and if the open positions don’t work out, SHARE has a process for requesting volunteers for layoff, and you may be able to swap into one of their jobs if we can find a good match. You can also get help looking at other affiliated hospitals, at UMass Medical School, and outside. Additionally, SHARE has a negotiated training fund that laid off employees can use to improve their skills in order to find another job.

How long will I have a paycheck and benefits if I am laid off?

The answer depends on how long you have worked at UMass Memorial.

You get at least 4 weeks notice from today.
When your Notice Period ends, if you don’t have a new job already, you will get Severance Pay for 2 to 8 weeks. You get one week for every full year that you have worked here, with a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 8 weeks. You do not work during severance.
In addition, the SHARE contract keeps you on the payroll as long as your earned time/vacation and holiday time last, instead of getting it paid out in a lump sum. This allows you to continue your health insurance at the employee weekly rate.
You can apply for unemployment as soon as your severance begins.

Unemployment

What happens after my notice, severance and benefit time are paid out?

The goal is for you to have another job by then. However, you will be eligible for unemployment insurance. Taxes are not deducted from your unemployment check, so you pay them when you file your taxes.

Your health insurance stops when you have used up your severance and your time on the books. You can get help paying for health insurance after that. Human Resources have a packet of information about your benefits, and about unemployment.

Is there bumping in the SHARE contract?

No. When we negotiated our contract, we had many discussions about bumping. In the end, we decided not to put bumping in the contract. People who have been through it said that it created bad feeling to have people taking each other’s jobs, and that after the whole long process was over, it sometimes ended up that people with the wrong skills were in the job. Instead, we work to find everyone a job. Also, our contract has a process where people can volunteer to be laid off, and if we can match up the right skills, someone may be able to swap into their job.

What can my SHARE rep do to help me?

Your SHARE rep is there to give you moral support, to help you think through your choices, and to make sure that you know about all the resources that are available to you. Please feel free to ask for any kind of help or support that you want, both when you first hear about the layoff and afterwards. If your rep doesn’t know the answer to a question or can’t do what you need, they will know where to get the answer or support.