Union Plus Scholarship Opportunity

The Union Plus Education Foundation is now receiving applications for their 2016 Scholarship Program. The awards range from $500 to $4,000.

The application deadline is Saturday, January 31, 2016.

This is a competitive scholarship, and applicants are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended.

Undergraduate and graduate students are eligible. The Scholarship Program is open to current and retired members of unions participating in any Union Plus program (e.g., AFSCME), 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). The one year membership minimum must be satisfied by May 31, 2016.

The applicant must be accepted into a U.S. accredited college or university, community college, technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. Awards must be used for the 2016 - 2017 school year. You do not have to purchase any Union Plus product or participate in any Union Plus program to be eligible.

Applicants should note that the application requires you to list the national or international union name, local union number, local union's address, phone number and the name of the local union President or Business Manager.  You need this information for your union, your spouse's union or your parent's union (if you are a dependent).  If you or your family members are affiliated with multiple unions you must list this information for all.

As a member of SHARE, you are also a member of our parent organization, AFSCME, a qualifying union. Please note that the “local number” for SHARE on the Hospital-side is AFSCME Local 3900. The SHARE Hospital-side co-presidents are Rita Caputo and Bobbi-Jo Lewis.

For more details, and to access the online application dashboard, please see the Union Plus Scholarship website.

Scholarship Opportunities for SHARE Members and Dependents

SHARE's parent organization, AFSCME, earlier this week published to their blog the following information about scholarships. As members of AFSCME, all SHARE members qualify. Please note that the application deadlines are rapidly approaching!

Many families are struggling with the costs of college tuition — or paying off college loans. AFSCME members and their children or dependents can apply for scholarships that could substantially reduce college costs. Here are two scholarship options currently accepting applications:

The Gerald W. McEntee Scholarship is a one-time award of $5,000 granted to one AFSCME member each year.  The scholarship is given to the member who best exemplifies the former president’s commitment to strengthening our union through organizing, building political power for working families, defending workers’ rights and supporting public services. The application deadline is Jan. 31.

The AFSCME Family Scholarship is an award of $2,000, renewable for up to four years, granted to 10 rising high school seniors each year. Any senior whose parent or legal guardian is an active AFSCME member may apply. The application deadline is Dec. 31.

Visit AFSCME.org/members/scholarships to learn more and download application materials.

Already graduated? AFSCME is committed to helping union members navigate the student loan process. You may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or Income-Driven Loan repayment, which can help dramatically reduce your monthly payments. You can find out more at AFSCME.org/student-debt.

Five-Tidbit Friday: December 18th, 2015

THERE’S an APP for THAT

When you’re shopping, do you want to buy products that are union made? Don’t use slave labor?  Fair trade? Cruelty free? Environmentally responsible? You can now use your phone to scan labels and make purchases that line up with your own personal ethics. Check out http://www.buycott.com/ for details.

HOLIDAY GIFTS and FESTIVE LIBATIONS, UNION-MADE

Please, shop responsibly

If you want to browse for ideas, Made-in-America by union employees, check out the AFL-CIO gift guide.

One must go to great lengths to make the Extra Mile . . .

Or, use the Labor 411 website for another thorough listing of union-made products. The list even includes union breweries and distilleries.

After all, if you're looking to mix up a classy drink at New Year's (say, an Extra Mile?) shouldn't you use a reputable union-made rye, such as Knob Creek or Woodford Reserve?

RENTERS, WINTER IS COMING

Do you know your rights as a renter? This story on WGBH explains how the law is on your side, and gives advice for dealing with Winter issues. And everybody should remember to check their smoke and carbon detectors, of course.

STRONG EMPLOYMENT NUMBERS in HEALTHCARE

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released its Employment Situation Summary, and Dan Diamond of the Advisory Board Company highlights that one in every nine jobs is in healthcare. Over on Twitter, Bob Herman (@MHbherman) notes that, in particular, "Hospital Hiring is relentless. Up 13,400 in November. 23,800 jobs added last month overall."

190 Mustaches?

MORE MUSTACHES than WOMEN

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Mustaches Outnumber Women Among Medical-School Leaders.

Although SHARE more blog posts are coming, this column is taking a break until 2016, which, really, isn't all that far off. In the meanwhile, happy holidays! See you here next year . . .  

Rutgers Professors Study SHARE Efforts

Professor Adrienne Eaton

Two weeks ago, SHARE hosted a pair of labor relations professors from Rutgers University in New Jersey, Adrienne Eaton and Becky Givan.  They came to study the work our union does to help SHARE members implement their ideas for improving their work. 

Dr. Eaton and Dr. Givan are writing an article about the different ways hospital unions and management are trying to transform their hospitals, involving front line staff to both improve patient care and make their hospital a better place to work. SHARE has a different, uncommon approach that drew the researchers' attention. They say that in some hospitals unions and management work to first focus on setting up committees at the top. The pair is interested in how SHARE begins with front-line employees--for example, engaging front-line staff to make idea boards and huddles useful to toward their own work.

Professor Becky Givan

Many of you generously took time out of your week to share with them your insights about how these efforts are going, as well as how you feel about your jobs, and the distance we still need to travel. Thank you to you, and to your coworkers for covering for you!

Adrienne Eaton's previous book, involving unions and quality improvement in the Kaiser Permanente hospital network

Dr. Eaton told us that in her work, she finds that most attempts between unions and management to improve the workplace begin with agreements between top-level leadership in both organizations.

Five-Tidbit Friday: December 11, 2015

SHARE MEMBERS WORK to PREVENT HOSPITAL ACQUIRED CONDITIONS

It looks like we’re doing a decent job washing our hands. Under guidelines in effect for the past two years as part of the Affordable Care Act, the UMass Memorial Hospital campuses have fared well. Congratulations to SHARE members for their work in helping keep patients safe and saving our hospital money.

Based on the numbers from 2015, modernhealthcare.com reports that, “758 hospitals . . . will see their Medicare payments reduced by 1% for ranking in the bottom quartile.” Due to its performance, UMass Memorial will avoid this penalty. For a full list of hospital scores nationally, see the Medicare HAC Reduction Program website.

This success builds on a positive national trend; according to Healthcare Finance News, “From 2010 to 2014, there’s been 2.1 million fewer hospital-acquired conditions and $19.8 billion in costs have been averted.” We look forward to making those numbers trend further in the right direction.

INTEREST-FREE PURCHASES for AFSCME MEMBERS

Occasionally the SHARE staff receives questions about union offers and catalogs that are mailed directly to your homes. These mailings come automatically from SHARE’s parent union, AFSCME, and so SHARE doesn't have much more information about them. One particular offer that has come through recently is called “AFSCME Advantage,” which allows users to shop and then pay for items directly from their paychecks over the course of a year. Unlike credit card purchases, these purchases involve no interest and no fees. You can find more details about this program here

YOUR AFSCME MEMBER ID

The AFSCME Advantage program registration requires applicants to include their AFSCME Member ID number. While the SHARE office receives no record of your AFSCME ID, you can find that number on the address label of any mailing sent to your home from AFSCME. It looks something like this:

The HEALTHCARE CADILLAC TAX

Legislators have proposed a two-year delay on the implementation of the healthcare “Cadillac Tax” provisions under the Affordable Care Act. Employers, including UMass Memorial, have been preparing to have to deal with the "cadillac tax" if and when it gets implemented.

The Cadillac Tax is currently slated to go into effect in 2018, and would require employers to pay a 40% tax on the value of any healthcare coverage that exceeds $10,200 for single coverage or $27,500 for families in premium costs starting in 2018.

The Wall Street Journal explains that, “A delay would punt the fate of the tax . . . to the next president, who is likely to be more open to striking it down. Republican presidential candidates have supported a repeal, as has Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.” According to healthcaredive.com, “If the tax is repealed or indefinitely delayed, the government will lose the estimated $91 billion in revenue the tax would bring during the next decade.”

UNION PLUS BENEFITS

Another program that might be helpful to you during holiday shopping is Union Plus, which is administered by the AFL-CIO non-profit called Union Privilege. The program is designed to use “collective negotiating strength of more than 13 million union member to negotiate solid values for consumers available from nationally known providers.” This provides discounts on items and services ranging from entertainment to heating oil. For a full list of features available to SHARE members, click here.

See you here next Friday. Hope you have a very decent weekend . . .

Scenes from the University Campus Craft Fair

Vince Pillari from the Blood Bank

The holiday season is off to a good start after the recent University Campus Employee Craft Fair. This year's event revives an old tradition that many SHARE members remember fondly. SHARE members--including Tanya Cournoyer and Rita Caputo, pictured below with their wares--helped to coordinate the event. Many other SHARE members showed off their crafts.

Vince Pillari, for example, from the Blood Bank, was glad to see the Craft Fair happening again this year. He was inspired to log extra hours at his workbench carving and soldering the ornaments pictured here.

“Ree’s Creations”

Tanya Cournoyer and Rita Caputo from Primary Care

Lisa Geneva from Employee Health at "Lisa's Soap Kitchen"

Genevieve Rentas from the Pediatric Clinic, with her daughter and their handmade wreaths

Five-Tidbit Friday: November 20, 2015

GRATITUDE IS GOOD for YOU

The traditional Thanksgiving meal

Thanksgiving may only come once a year, but there's mounting scientific evidence about the benefits of developing thankful habits. Researcher Glenn Fox at the University of Southern California has been researching how gratitude alters the brain. “A lot of people conflate gratitude with the simple emotion of receiving a nice thing. What we found was something a little more interesting,” says Fox. “The pattern of [brain] activity we see shows that gratitude is a complex social emotion that is really built around how others seek to benefit us.” As you gear up for the big feast, here is some advice to help you and your family be truly thankful at Thanksgiving.

HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR BUSTARD YET?

Although popularized more recently, and copyrighted by celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme in 1986, there's a longer story behind the Turducken. This kind of “Russian Doll Roast” traces its roots back to at least medieval times, when animals might be stuffed within other animals for the sake of spectacle. (See also,  “illusion foods,” or “incredible foods.”)

Schott’s Food & Drink Miscellany includes this example of a Russian Doll Roast involving way too many birds: “stuff a large OLIVE with CAPERS and a CLOVE,” and so on, it says. The directions continue stuffing birds, including a bec-figue, ortolan, lark, thrush, quail, plover, lapwing, partridge, woodcock, teal, fowl, duck, chicken, pheasant, goose, and turkey, until ultimately we’re told to “place the TURKEY inside an enormous BUSTARD.”

An EATER’S HISTORY of THANKSGIVING: AMERICA’S MOST IMPORTANT HOLIDAY

According to Saltwater Foodways: New Englanders and Their Food, at Sea and Ashore, in the Nineteenth Century, Thanksgiving used to be a bigger deal. For roughly the first half of our nation’s history, Thanksgiving reigned as the premier holiday among the Europeans who came to America, and their descendents. (Celebrating Christmas was too “churchy” for the Puritans.) For a fascinating tour of Thanksgiving meals through the ages, including the "Turducken," be sure to check out foodtimeline.org.

JINGLE BELLS, the THANKSGIVING DAY CLASSIC

Did you know that Jingle Bells was originally written as a song to celebrate Thanksgiving Day? James Lord Pierpont wrote it, quite possibly right here in Massachusetts, some time in the 1850’s, almost certainly at a time when one might expect the heavy snows to begin as early as November.

Placard Commemorating the composition of  "Jingle Bells" in Medford, Massachusetts

HELP CREATE a HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITY

Probably all of us have driven along Route 9 in Shrewsbury, past the Worcester County Food Bank. On their website, you can quickly identify the nearest food pantry, learn where to donate funds and food for the hungry, volunteer to help with the distribution process, and learn how to advocate for the hungry in your community.

See you here in two weeks. Hope you have a decent weekend, and a very wonderful Thanksgiving!

Where Ideas Come From

When a patient calls to book an appointment in the hospital, and it's your job to schedule it, but you can't--because there aren't any slots open, or too few to align with the patient's schedule, or because of some system problem--it's frustrating. A group of SHARE members in Central Scheduling has been building a process to eliminate those frustrations, and help patients get the care they need. These schedulers were recently recognized at the Innovation Celebration, where Katie Warren, a scheduler in the 855-UMass MD pod, and Tony Le, the lead scheduler in the Primary Care pod, explained where their best ideas come from, and how their two areas have worked together to turn problems into opportunities. Lauren George, another architect of the system, explains her personal process. She says she keeps a stack of idea cards on her desk. "It makes sense for keeping track of this kind of thing. I found if I wrote down an idea on any other ordinary scrap of paper, it was too easy to mix up with all of the other notes I take." If, after she hangs up with a patient, she has some concern that the call didn't go as well as it could, or the patient didn't get the appointment time that they wanted, she pulls a blank card and writes down the problem. Then she places the card in a designated spot on her desk. And it sits there, for maybe a couple of days, with the other problems that she's jotted down. While Lauren takes calls and goes about her work, the cards rest on her desk. It's a busy job, with a constant flow of conversations, and plenty of interruptions. Still, in the background, her thoughts percolate. When she can, she'll stop to look back at the cards. She might come to find trends among the problems. Or, the day after a tough call, when the tension has subsided and she can look at the problem with fresh eyes, she might hit on an insight about its root cause. Lauren will write down her new analysis, and move the card along to another spot on her desk, where it sits for maybe a couple more days. When she assesses the problem again, she finds she often has an idea that could reduce the chances of having to deal with that problem again. She writes down her idea. And then the card gets pinned to the department's idea board. "And it's not all for issues with scheduling patients," Lauren points out. "We use it for whatever ideas we have about work. We've got regular Throwback Thursday emails that now recognize birthdays in the department, and other things like that, which have come out of our idea system." For the schedulers, this is a process that's working. They haven't perfected the scheduling system. But they certainly aren't looking at each other across their idea board huddles, wondering if someone else has thought of something. They're ticking off solutions to problems, one by one. And they're constantly developing a plan for addressing the rest. Not to mention finding ways to have some fun at work in the meanwhile. We're impressed, and very happy to see them recognized. Look for more SHARE members at the next Innovation Celebration, including a focus on the Primary Care Idea System, on Tuesday, November 17th from Noon-1pm in the University Campus Cafeteria.

Katie Warren and Tony Le

Five-Tidbit Friday: November 13th, 2015

RAISING MEN’S HEALTH AWARENESS

Röntgen and his beard

It’s Movember! Both the “No Shave November” and “Movember” movements encourage men to abstain from the razor for thirty days in order to raise men’s health and cancer awareness. Unfortunately, it’s getting harder to tell which hair is charitable, and which is just garden-variety facial fluff.  

ROENTGENIUM

On November 8th, 1895, German physicist William Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays. National Radiologic Technology Week is celebrated each year during the week of the anniversary of this discovery. Röntgen’s own unruly chin-growth predated the UK’s Decembeard event.

MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE in MASSACHUSETTS

According to the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts State Legislature’s Labor and Workforce Development Committee has put forward a bill to increase the minimum wage to fifteen dollars per hour. The introduction of the bill coincided with Fight for $15 demonstrations in over 270 cities, involving thousands of workers across the country. The bill still requires approval by the House, Senate, and Governor Charlie Baker.

HONORING VETERANS

Veterans’ Day was observed this week in Worcester and around the country. President Obama’s Veteran’s Day speech focused on jobs, as Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post writes:

“We’re in the midst of a new wave of American veterans,” said Obama, referring to a generation of men and women who have weathered the longest stretch of war in U.S. history. Those veterans have struggled in recent years to get care from an overwhelmed Department of Veterans Affairs. They’ve faced a higher unemployment rate than their civilian peers and an increase in suicides.

Here in Central Massachusetts, many work continually to honor the service of our Veterans, and to help them find ways to serve their country at home. The Worcester Veterans’ Services Division aims to supply local veterans with immediate financial aid, medical assistance, and referral services on issues such as housing, employment opportunities, health, and education. Notably, four of our area colleges and universities--Worcester State University, Fitchburg, Nichols College, and Mount Wachusett Community College--have been designated “military friendly” institutions.  

REMEMBERING VETERANS with PAUL JULIAN

Describing one particularly personal commemoration of our country’s veterans, former SHARE-UMMS president and UMMS Library Assistant Paul Julian writes: “On July 9, while on a walk, I stopped to read a Veteran's monument on Upsala Street in Worcester. I had read others on my walks, but this was special, because Richard Leo Jandron , for whom the memorial was erected, died from his wounds sustained in Cherbourg, France exactly 71 years before. I said a prayer for Gunner Mate Jandron, and it occurred to me that I should do this for every veteran who is so honored here in Worcester. Working with two lists, I learned that there were 237 such monuments here in Worcester. I decided to seek them out so that I could pray and reflect on the sacrifices these brave veterans made. I aimed to walk to all 237 monuments. Today, the day before Veterans Day, I journeyed to the last one on my list for Lt. Paul Adams, which is located on Sunderland Road here in Worcester. I have found this to be both a moving and illuminating experience. We owe so much to our veterans. May their sacrifices always be appreciated by us.”

See you here next Friday. Hope you have a very decent weekend . . .

Celebrating National Radiologic Technology Week with SHARE Rad Techs

This week, SHARE tips its hat to the nearly one-hundred fifty members who serve as Radiology Technologists and Radiation Therapists. The week-long celebration calls attention to the important role medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and health care safety. 

Radiology Technologists on the University Campus

Radiology staff enjoying lunch provided by supervisor Marcia Amaral in celebration of rad tech week​. (photo: RT Jess Joslyn)

National Radiologic Technology Week takes place each year during the week that includes Nov. 8 to commemorate the discovery of the x-ray. The theme for 2015 is Discovering the Inside Story.

Employee Craft Fair: November 20th on the University Campus

The “Employee Craft Fair” is coming! The craft-makers and event organizers--including many SHARE employees--are quite excited about it. Come check out what your co-workers have been doing, and get a jump on your holiday shopping.

WHERE: University Campus, Noonan Concourse corridor (outside the Emergency Department to the left of the main lobby Café)

WHEN: Friday, November 20th from 9am-5pm

WHO: You! Hope to see you there. Along with all these fine crafters . . .

• Phyllis Chartier from EKG Memorial, “Gifted Touch”- Christmas tree skirts, lighted baskets, Christmas towels, quilts, and decorative Christmas trees
• Rita Caputo from Primary Care, “Ree’s Creations”- Swarowski crystal and pearl handcrafted jewelry
• Anne Bouley from Rheumatology, “Bouley’s Baubles” – Handcrafted jewelry bags and jewelry
• Joe Laventure from Materials Management, “Bekki’s Stitches”- Cross stitch pictures
• Elaine Wrubel from Diabetes and Endocrinology, “GramEz GoodEz”- crochet afghans and baby items
• Missy Lucier from Division of Preventive & Behavioral Medicine, “Bella Colori Jewelry”- Handcrafted jewelry from metals, beads, crystals, etc.
• Erin Cofske from Endoscopy, “Erin Cofske Designs”- Hand sewn wallets, bags, coasters, and fleece blankets
• Catherine Faiola from Anatomical Pathology, “Shady Lady”- Beaded nightlight shades, sock snowmen, twirly scarfs
• Kathleen Murray form Surgery  & ENT, “Angel Wings & Pretty Things”- Handmade crystal and beaded jewelry
• Barbara Laconto from Health Information Management, “Barbara Laconto Designs”- Primitive Snowmen, Santas, Christmas items
• Vince Pillari from Blood Bank/Transfusion, “Gifted”- Stained glass, wood carvings, and metal sculpture
• Jessica Stoneham from 8 West, “Quilt”- Handmade quilts and rice warmers
• Lisa Geneva from Employee Health, “Lisa’s Soap Kitchen”- Handmade soap, candles, wreaths, and story stones
• Tanya Cournoyer from Primary Care, “Podunk Mittens”- Handmade mittens from recycled sweaters
• Suzanne Ashton from Pre-surgical Evaluations, “Resuscitated”- Hand painted repurposed Scrubs and vintage jewelry
• Patty Amelin from Anesthesiology, “Patty’s Pottery”- Handmade pottery
• Thomas Callahan from Financial Reporting, “Creations in Glass”- Cheese platters, bottle clocks, fused glass jewelry, and stained glass
• Genevieve Rentas from Pediatric Clinic, “Nini’s Wreaths”- Seasonal wreath
• Michelle Imbody from Primary Care, “Nypsy’s Creations”- Etched glass items
• Heather Tessier from Plastic Surgery, “Green Fibers”- Crochet rugs , bath scrubbies, ear warmers, etc. from eco-friendly materials

Congratulations, Joann Shoup!

Congratulations to SHARE Representative JoAnn Shoup, who is retiring from Memorial, where she has worked for 48 years.

Deb Church, Bobbi-Jo Lewis, and Joann Shoup

JoAnn, a LPN, has been working as a Scrub Nurse in Labor and Delivery. She has prepared the tools for the C-section deliveries performed there, and worked closely with the surgical teams to help bring many, many new babies into the world.

JoAnn's family, her colleagues, now-retired former coworkers, and other well-wishers celebrated her at a fantastic retirement party organized by the Maternity Department. Above, Joann is pictured at that event with SHARE co-president Bobbi-Jo Lewis, and with Deb Church, the new SHARE rep from the Maternity floor.

Thank you, JoAnn, for meaning so much to so many of us. We will miss you. Enjoy your new adventures!

We Need YOUR Opinions and Ideas!

Have YOU filled out your SHARE survey about our upcoming contract negotiations??

This is the first step towards a new contract. The survey turns the conversations SHARE members have everyday -- about how things are going and what should change -- into data that helps us to figure out our collective priorities for contract negotiations. We want to make sure we include all opinions and ideas -- from SHARE members from all departments and all shifts, all ages and all jobs. (Many thanks to the hundreds of you who already filled out the survey!)

Here's the link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SHARE2016

Topics on the survey include:

• What parts of working at UMass Memorial are satisfying, and what parts are not?
• Staffing Levels, Breaks, Lunches and Vacations
• Getting the Work Done and Process Improvement
• Co-Workers and Working as a Team
• Supervisors and Managers
• Training and Career Development
• The SHARE Union
• Your Priorities: What would help most to improve how it feels to come to work?

Super Convenient Ways to Take the Survey -- Come to the SHARE table to pick up a paper copy of the survey, or fill it out on a laptop right there, or pick up a postcard with the link to remind yourself to do it at home:

Memorial: Wednesday, November 11th, 1:45 am - 1:15 pm in the hospital cafeteria
370 Main Street: Thursday, November 12th, Noon - 1:00 pm in the 5th floor conference room
University: Friday, November 13th, 11:45 am - 1:15 pm in the hospital cafeteria

Can you help spread the word to your co-workers?

Please encourage your co-workers to take the survey! If you would like some postcards with the link on them to hand out, just call the SHARE office and we will bring you some!

Having trouble with the survey?

If you are having any trouble getting into Survey Monkey to do the SHARE survey, try typing the link above into your browser. If that doesn't work, please let us know so we can figure out what's wrong.

Would you rather fill out a paper survey?

Follow this link to a .pdf that you can print. Then mail us or fax us your survey -- call us if you want a postage paid envelope.

All questions or ideas -- You can talk to your local SHARE Rep, your SHARE Organizer, or call the office at SHARE 508-929-4020. Leave a message at extension 10. Or you can send an email to share.comment@theshareunion.org.

5 Tidbit Friday: November 6, 3015

FOLLOWING SHARE ONLINE

We’ve gotten some helpful feedback about the SHARE blog recently. We apologize that the “Sign-Up by Email” feature is not available on all web browsers. If you’d like to receive updates in your inbox, and don’t see the sign-up box in the upper-right corner of your screen, please send an email to kirk.davis@theshareunion.org  

TRICK-or-TREAT

  

During lunchtime last Friday, UMass Memorial’s Central Billing Office opened its doors for the costumed children of employees to trick-or-treat among the cubicles . . . and receive candy from the jesters and bakers and witches and pirates who work there. What a way to transform the workday! What a fun family event! So many adorable minions! Nice work, CBO.

FREE CLASSES, IT’S TRUE

More details have been requested about the recent tidbit touting free online classes through edX.org.

• The project was founded by Harvard University and MIT, and a number of colleges and universities have since joined in.
• New courses are continually being offered.
• The program does not adhere to a traditional academic calendar.
• At any given moment, a few million students are enrolled in the courses, and the website promotes a variety of ways of interacting with other students in your class, wherever in the world they may be.
• EdX offers certificates of successful completion, but does not offer course credit. Whether or not a college or university offers credit for an edX course is within the sole discretion of that school.

Signing up for a class is just about as simple as registering for the edX site and clicking on the course(s) you want to take. The EdX site has a useful video explaining how it works. (A couple of years back, I signed up for Harvard’s “Food and Science” course. Signing up was fairly simple and straightforward. Keeping up with the course-load after work, however, was trickier. But when else can you use your kitchen as a laboratory?)

REAL FAMILIES vs. WISTFUL SYSTEMS

This week, the Pew Research Center released a report about work-family balance in households that include a mother and a father. This prompted the Huffington Post to wonder why so many government policies and employers are stuck in “Leave It to Beaver” mode--notably highlighting that the US is the only developed country that does not offer paid family leave to new mothers. (Additionally, the article points out that “Almost 40 percent of kids in the U.S. live in a home with a single parent or no parent at all (for example, a grandparent's in charge), according to a different Pew study.”)

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that new government regulations on paid sick leave went over well on ballots around the country.

WE’RE NOT THE ONLY ONES

. . . keeping an eye on the labor-management partnership at Kaiser Permanente. In his address at the recent White House Summit on Worker Voice, President Obama stated, “Kaiser Permanente works with 28 different unions to provide good pay and benefits, but also educational programs, and avenues for employees to help improve quality and care throughout the company — which is why they’re considered one of the premier health organizations in the country.”

See you here next Friday! Hope you have a great weekend . . .

Five-Tidbit Frightday: October 30, 2015

Happy Halloween! And, too, happy Respiratory Care Week!

WHAT IS a HEALTHY DIET?

Halloween candy is bad for you. Vegetables, on the other hand, are good for you. Beyond these generally accepted facts, there’s a lot of conflicting dietary information out there. This week, the World Health Organization released a report saying definitively that processed meats cause cancer, and that, probably, red meat does, too. Related reports argue that you don’t need to give up those meats altogether. Fortunately, when you’re trying to figure out how to make sense of the varying and contradictory information, the Harvard School of Public Health offers this guide to deciphering media stories about diet.

NOT HEALTHY, BUT SAFE?

You know those stories about random, unsuspecting trick-or-treaters being poisoned (or worse) by tainted Halloween goodies? They’re all urban legends, every single one. Or so contends Dr. Joel Best, the world's leading expert on Halloween hostility, in this podcast.  

MAKING HALLOWEEN SAFER

Need ideas for getting creative to make your kids visible to car traffic? Also, if you plan to offer candies that are free of allergens and cross-contamination, don’t forget to review this year’s list of allergen-friendly candies, especially if you’re participating in the Teal-Pumpkin Project.

WHAT'S this CANDY WORTH?

This irreverent video guide to trading Halloween candy sums up the Halloween barter system pretty nicely.

HALLOWEEN AFTER-PARTY

And, finally, after you’ve applied the “Mom and Dad Tax” to the kids’ candy stash, and they’re tucked away in bed, you can consult this infographic for pairing candy and wine. (There are still a few studies that hold to the idea that the resveratrol in wine might be good for you, after all.)

See you here next Friday! Hope you have a great weekend.

Recognizing Respiratory Therapists

Did you know that over one hundred SHARE members work as certified Respiratory Therapists? They are specialists in lungs and hearts and emergency care. They often manage life support for patients in the ED and ICU. They keep countless airways clear, and for that, we're very thankful.

This year, October 25-31 marks National Respiratory Care Week, an annual event that recognizes the respiratory care profession and promotes awareness of lung health issues and practices. Hats off to our own Respiratory Therapists!

SHARE Respiratory Therapists on the Memorial Campus

SHARE Respiratory Therapists on the University Campus

Five-Tidbit Friday: October 23, 2015

REMEMBER! UMASS MEMORIAL OPEN ENROLLMENT BENEFITS FAIRS

. . .  during the coming week

• University Campus – October 27 (Tuesday)
• Worcester Business Center – October 28 (Wednesday)
• Memorial Campus – October 29 (Thursday)

LEAF-PEEPING

Do you have out-of-towners coming for a visit? Check out Massachusetts InstaFoliage for streaming foliage footage.

SELECTING a HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN

SHARE members, like many hospital employees, tend to be savvier about healthcare than most people. Still, if you’re considering changing health care plans this year, and would like to make sure you’re covering your bases before arriving at the benefits fair with your specific questions, here’s some useful online advice.

In this article, Consumer Reports directs people to begin by focusing on three big questions:

• What does the plan cover?
• How much does the plan cost? (for SHARE members, the plan costs are roughly the same, with the exception of the PPO plan, which costs more.)
• Which doctors and hospitals are in the plan?

Nerdwallet provides a sensible and more detailed process for evaluating options.

SWEDEN’S SIX-HOUR WORKDAY

Among other things, American Unions can rightly claim credit for the weekend and the eight-hour workday. This piece in Forbes magazine makes an argument that we should push for more. (Or less, depending on how you look at it.)

MEDICAL ULTRASOUND AWARENESS MONTH

October is Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month. SHARE is happy to recognize our Ultrasound Technologists.

See you here next Friday! Hope you have a great weekend.

2016 Contract Negotiations: Where We’ve Been, One Big Problem, and the Year Ahead

When UMass and then Memorial employees voted to form the SHARE union, the main goal was participation. People wanted a say in decisions that affect them at work.

With a merger, and with healthcare changing rapidly all around us since, there have been many decisions being made that affect SHARE members. As a new union and in the 18 years since those votes, we’ve checked off most of “the biggies” from our list:

• SHARE members wanted to make raises predictable, with raises every year, and a salary system that was fair, transparent, and moved people up to grade max over time.

• SHARE members wanted to hold onto the benefits they had, in spite of the merger, especially:

  • Health insurance, keeping the 85%/15% premium split the state workers had had.

  • A defined benefit pension.

• SHARE members wanted to land safely in new jobs when there were layoffs, especially in the highly uncertain times of the early merger. And we wanted to feel that seniority was valued equally no matter which campus you came from.

• SHARE members from Memorial and UMass wanted to have the same policies across campuses, without going to the lowest-common-denominators among those policies. And we wanted to continually improve on these policies.

We all know that there’s plenty more we can do to improve even further on those goals. Still, our achievements have been significant and hard-won. Congratulations to all of us for sticking together when our union has faced hard times and hard negotiations.

Changing How it Feels to Come to Work

While we have steadily, persistently ticked the goals off our list, there’s one important nut that we haven’t cracked: We really want to change how it feels to come to work every day.

• We want to save lives and improve patient health to the best of our ability.

• We want patients’ experience -- from making an appointment to paying the bill – to go smoothly and give the patients what they need.

• We want to have fun at work

• We want to be able brag to our neighbors that we work at UMass Memorial, to have the respect of our peers and leaders, and to leave work consistently with our heads held high.

SHARE wants to focus on that problem -- how to re-imagine and improve our entire work culture -- in our next contract negotiations.

Many forces combine to cause our work to be stressful and frustrating:

• Constant change, and financial pressure that leads to “doing more with less”

• Work systems that are complicated and wasteful rather than clear and efficient

• An old culture of “command and control,” and a “shame and blame” approach to problems that make positive teamwork tough to establish

Changing how it feels to come to work is not a simple goal. We have lots to figure out, and we may need to try several approaches before we figure out what works.

We Need Your Ideas!

We hope that all SHARE members will take part in this conversation as we prepare to tackle this difficult set of problems. We are starting with a survey for all SHARE members to get your thoughts, questions, concerns, and ideas.

We will negotiate about raises and benefits too – so there will be a lot going on in this coming year. We will set up lunch-time SHARE information meetings across the hospital’s campuses in the new year. You can also contact your SHARE reps and organizers through the SHARE office any time.

And of course, we will post updates here on this blog. Stay tuned…

2016 SHARE Member Negotiations Survey

We need to hear your opinions! Your thoughts, your ideas, your experiences! Please take the 2016 SHARE Negotiations Survey:

www.surveymonkey.com/r/SHARE2016

This survey kicks off our thinking about the upcoming contract negotiations. In the past, our contract surveys have been very useful -- giving us concrete information to use in negotiations, and figuring out what areas need the most work. This survey focuses on your day-to-day work experience -- what works well and what needs to be improved. We are trying to figure out how to improve how it feels to come to work every day. For more about where we've come from as a union, and our next challenges, click here.

Our current contract expires on September 30, 2016.  We will start negotiations with UMass Memorial sometime in the spring. After we collect SHARE members' responses to the survey in the next few weeks, we will use the results to help set the priorities for negotiations. There will be plenty of time to talk about those priorities at lunch-time information meetings in the new year.

The survey takes about 10 minutes. Please fill it out, and encourage your co-workers to do the same!

Report from ThedaCare

As we prepare for SHARE’s contract negotations with UMass Memorial in 2016, we want to know what other hospitals are doing. We are looking for good ideas that could:

• Make SHARE members’ work easier, 
• Increase SHARE members’ “say” at work, and 
• Improve how it feels to come to work every day.

I visited the ThedaCare hospitals in Wisconsin last week and it was quite inspiring. They believe in two main ideas:

• Continuous Improvement: They say, “Improving the work is the work.”
• Respect for People in everything they do.

[For another SHARE perspective on ThedaCare, see this previous blog post]

Their Friday morning "Team Report Out and Celebration" made a big impression on me. Every week, a few teams of front-line staff spend 3 or 4 full days to work on improving some process in their department. At the end of that week, in front of a couple of hundred people, the teams report on what they did. 

Last Friday there were 3 teams reporting out:

• A PCA (ER Tech), a Respiratory Therapist, and an RN from the ED spent the week re-designing several patient rooms for higher acuity patients. By stocking more supplies in the room, staff now have to leave the room an average of twice per patient, instead of the average of 9 times they were going in and out to get supplies before the re-design. Clearly this is good for the staff and the patient. They improved respect for people, both staff and patients, further by setting up the room so that staff don’t have their back to the patient when looking at the computer, and by improving the room’s ergonomics to decrease staff injuries. 

I really like that front-line staff do the improvement work because they know their work best, and that they have time away from their regular duties for it.

• RNs from the maternity units on two campuses worked together for the week to figure out why their number of CLABSIs (central line associated blood stream infections) were increasing. They figured out better processes (or “standard work” as they call it), and trained each other. They emphasized "respect for people" in respecting different levels of experience among the staff – with no blame – and giving people the tools and training they need to do their jobs. 

I love it: fix a bad process, don't shame and blame an employee.

• The Root Cause Analysis (RCA) team re-designed their process to make it faster. These process improvement coaches (like the CITC coaches at UMass Memorial) are on-call for an adverse event. We heard the story of a patient having an assisted fall off an OR table. Right after it happened, a staff person was posted on either side of all OR tables to make sure it couldn’t happen again until they figured out what went wrong. The RCA team would arrive immediately to talk to people about what happened before everyone forgot. Then the RCA team leads a root cause analysis to change how the work is done to make sure that a fall like that can’t happen again.

They see a problem is an opportunity for improvement -- that's a positive outlook that I'd love to see more of at UMass Memorial.

Dr. Dickson leads trips to ThedaCare as an example of the direction he wants our hospitals to go. I agree – they have some very good ideas and it was impressive to see those ideas in action. 

As we collect experiences from other hospitals and other unions who are working to transform healthcare, I’m especially interested in the question: How do we there from here? More on that question to come...