Hello SHARE members,
This email is long, but important. We are writing to all SHARE members to tell you what UMMS management has proposed about layoffs, explain what it means for us, and get you involved in the conversation about what we should do about it… together as a union.
The Medical School is furloughing about 100 non-union employees. You may have heard about this at the Chancellor’s Town Hall meeting on Tuesday or read about it in the news.
Some SHARE members will also be affected. Because we have a union, management cannot simply announce what they are going to do; it has to be negotiated. So, as a union, we have some decisions to make together, and fast.
Discussion about layoffs and a one-week delay (see FAQ for more detailed timeline)
Last Friday, Medical School management told us that they were planning layoffs, and offered us a potential Plan B. They would either:
A. Lay off 32 SHARE members, or
B. Furlough the same 32 SHARE members, in exchange for concessions including giving up our negotiated June 21 raise.
Wednesday, they told us they would need to know whether we could give up the raises by the end of the day or they would move forward with laying off the 32 SHARE members instead of furloughing them. We explained that we were not allowed to do that. SHARE leaders could not give up negotiated raises without discussion with, and approval by, SHARE members.
Instead, we offered to have a discussion with SHARE members about whether they would be willing to give up or delay their raises, in addition to the other sacrifices that they have made, to support the School in this crisis. Management has agreed to delay the threatened layoffs by one week while we have this conversation with members.
Furloughs vs. Layoffs
Furloughs are like layoffs in that the furloughed person can apply for unemployment insurance, but there are some important differences. The short version is that the proposed furloughs would be better financially both for SHARE members and for the medical school (see FAQ about why).
For that reason, SHARE is in favor of furloughs rather than layoffs. However, the medical school wants to save more money than that, and so they are using this issue as leverage to get SHARE members to give up more.
Choices
All around us we see examples of communities coming together to handle this once-in-a-century pandemic. We see unprecedented efforts by federal, state and local governments to keep workers employed and the economy from failing. We want to achieve such a result with UMMS.
To be clear, we have the right to just say no to this proposal. That is option 1. We can stick to our contract, our negotiated rights, and the raises we bargained. That is our absolute right as a union. The downside is that it would be worse for the 32 coworkers who are, at least temporarily, losing their jobs.
Option 2 would be to agree to management’s proposal. The 32 coworkers would still be on unemployment for a while, but they would be in better shape financially, they would have status as employees with a possible return date, and they would have health insurance. The downside is that all SHARE members would be giving up their raise in exchange.
Or there is a third option. Option 3 would be to come up with a different way to address the School’s needs, and make a counter-proposal to management. They have to consider our counter-proposals. They don’t have to agree to them. However, if a counter-proposal addresses their needs, and is preferable for SHARE members, then it would be hard for UMass to explain why they would not agree to it.
Zoom member meetings
We invite you to join us at a virtual member meeting to discuss the situation and what we should do about it. Please RSVP for the meeting you would like to attend, with your email address, and we will send you a link to the Zoom meeting.
1:00-2:00pm today, Friday 5/1
5:00-6:00pm today, Friday 5/1
10:00-11:00am Saturday 5/2
12:00-1:00pm Monday 5/4
2:00-3:00pm Monday 5/4
5:00-6:00pm Monday 5/4
After these initial meetings, when we have a clearer idea of how SHARE members would like to proceed, we will schedule a series of follow up meetings.
If you have questions or would like to talk about this outside of a meeting, please talk to a SHARE Rep in your area, or email one of the SHARE staff. Thank you for your patience as we get back to everyone as quickly as we can.
Sincerely,
The SHARE Staff:
Andrea Caceres Andrea.Caceres@theshareunion.org
Jana Hollingsworth Jana.Hol@theshareunion.org
Elisabeth Szanto Elisabeth.Szanto@theshareunion.org
The SHARE Executive Board:
Jameal Jackson, CEAP
AJ Iaconi, CCU
Leliz Cedrone, CPS
Valerie Mount, Animal Medicine
Antonio Jimenez, CCU
Debra Manseau, Neurology
Samantha Jimenez, Animal Medicine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAQ
Who is on the proposed layoff list?
We cannot say who is on the list, because it has not yet been decided what it will mean for the people involved, or even whether the list is final. We are sorry, because we know that people will be anxious. What we can do now is try to make sure that the list is fair, and to protect the SHARE members on and off the list as best as possible. Anyone who is on it will find out when they are told about the layoff or furlough, probably next Friday.
Will there be more layoffs or furloughs after this?
There could be. Unfortunately, because of the Coronavirus, no one knows how quickly the Medical School will go back to “normal”, or exactly what the new normal will be. We also don’t know how much support UMMS will get from the State or Federal government to help balance the Medical School’s budget. So the School has to plan for the different possibilities.
If the work comes back, then UMass would want everyone back to work. Furloughed employees would be called back. Laid off employees who are in SHARE have a right to be reinstated if their old position becomes available.
If the work does not come back, or there is less work, then there could be more furloughs or layoffs. Employees who were furloughed could also have their furlough converted to a layoff.
What is the difference between Furloughs and Layoffs?
Furloughs are like layoffs in that the furloughed person can apply for unemployment insurance. But there are some important differences.
Money: A furlough would start right away, without the 4 weeks of notice plus 2-8 weeks of severance that our contract calls for. That sounds like it would be worse for a SHARE member who got furloughed, but there is an important other factor right now: the CARES Act adds $600/week to the usual unemployment benefit until the end of July. So for the next 3 months, most SHARE members would actually make more on unemployment than they do in their job. After that, the unemployment benefit would be the usual (about 50% of pay) until the end of the furlough. Note that a furlough is also better for UMass, because they would not have to pay notice and severance.
Employee status: A furloughed employee continues to be a UMass employee, and has a return date (that would be no more than 6 months from the furlough date). It is not guaranteed that they would be brought back to their job, but that is the intention. With a layoff, if the job opened back up, they would need to be rehired.
Health Insurance: UMass would agree to pay the employee portion and the employer portion of the health insurance premium until the end of July. After that, the furloughed person would be able to keep their GIC insurance by paying the employee portion and UMass would pay the employer portion.
How long has this conversation about layoffs been going on between UMass and SHARE?
The conversation only really got started last Friday. Here is the full timeline:
Since March, SHARE has been asking questions and offering suggestions about how to avoid wage loss and layoffs while helping the Medical School get through the current crisis.
Since the beginning of April, we have been reminding them that we needed to work out together what would happen after May 2.
Last Friday, Medical School management responded. They told us that they were planning layoffs, and offered us a potential Plan B. They would either:
Lay off 32 SHARE members, or
Furlough the same 32 SHARE members, in exchange for concessions including giving up our negotiated June 21 raise.
On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, SHARE responded with alternative ideas for cost savings and shared sacrifice, and asked for clarification about some of the details of the proposal. Management listened to our ideas, but did not respond. We got answers to some of our questions, but are still waiting for some information.
On Wednesday, UMass management told us they had to know by the end of the day if we would give up the negotiated raise, or else they would move forward with laying off the 32 SHARE members instead of furloughing them. We explained that we were not allowed to do that. SHARE leaders cannot give up the negotiated raise without discussion with, and approval by, SHARE members.
We offered to have a discussion with SHARE members about whether they would be willing to give up or delay their raises, in addition to the other sacrifices that they have made, and will make, to support the School in this crisis. Management has agreed to delay the threatened layoffs by one week while we have this conversation with members.
What happens if I do not have enough work for my budgeted hours? Can I still get Admin Pay?
As part of our 1-week deal, Admin Pay is being extended through Friday, May 8. After May 8, some people who are not furloughed or laid off will still not have enough work for their budgeted hours. Management wants those people to use their vacation time to supplement their pay. If they run out of vacation time, then they could use personal time, and then comp time. If, down the road, they still do not have enough work and they have no more time to use to supplement their paycheck, they could have their hours reduced.
Management wants people to use vacation time first, because it saves them money in this fiscal year and allows them to start next fiscal year in a better financial position. SHARE is concerned that if people have to use vacation time before comp time, they may never get to use the comp time. We are still discussing this.
Do I still get Comp Time for working on-site?
Management’s proposal would stop Comp Time accruals for the Coronavirus, going forward. As part of our 1-week deal, Comp Time accrual is being extended through May 8. We are discussing with management the need to extend the deadline for using up this comp time, in order to make sure departments are sufficiently staffed, and that employees don’t lost their accrued time.
Comp Time does not show up on your paystub, the departments are keeping track of it separately. Check with you manager if you have questions about your Comp Time balance.