The following email was sent to all SHARE members at UMMS on 9/11/2020…
Hi SHARE member,
SHARE’s Birthday
Our original union election was held September 9, 10 and 11 of 1997. SHARE is 23 years old this week. Happy Anniversary to us!
Union Strength
We keep our union strong by trying to form a connection between each member and someone who is active in SHARE. Before the pandemic, that meant conversations between coworkers in the workplace, lunchtime meetings, SHARE staff and leaders visiting departments to check in with people, and lots of interactions as SHARE members happened to bump into a SHARE rep informally.
Since the lockdown started 6 months ago, we have found ways to be in touch about specific issues, but we are missing the more general contact that maintains the relationships that sustain the union. So we want to introduce three new approaches.
Monthly Member Meetings (on Zoom)
Individual check-ins
Invitation to be a SHARE Leader
SHARE Member Meetings start Wednesday, September 16
The first Member Meeting is Wednesday, September 16. We will be there 12:00-2:00 PM. Please drop in on your lunch break. We will have a short agenda on the half hour, and open discussion the rest of the time.
Click to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85193161012?pwd=SERJUGFTd01ua0MyRDJrVTNkNmxSdz09
Or call to join: 646-876-9923 and enter Meeting ID: 851 9316 1012 and Passcode: 485804
Individual Check-Ins
Over the next few months, SHARE leaders will be trying to contact members we haven’t been in touch with recently, to see how you are doing, whether you have any questions or concerns, and if there is anything we can do to help. Of course, please feel free to contact us anytime.
Invitation to be a SHARE Leader – please let us know by September 30 if you are interested
This fall, we would like to invite any SHARE member who would like to be an Area Rep or an Executive Board Member to join us in that role.
Normally we have nominations for SHARE Area Reps and SHARE Executive Board Members in the fall, and then there is an election if there are more candidates than there are positions. Holding a safe, socially distanced, in-person election would be difficult. We do have the option to hold an election by mail. Or we can just squeeze in everyone who is interested.
Now more than ever, the more SHARE members who step forward to help out, the stronger our union will be. So, if it is ok with everyone, we would like to just say Yes to all volunteers this fall. Please let us know if you have objections or questions about this.
What do SHARE Area Reps and Executive Board Members do?
Area Reps can get training to do different things, based on interest:
keeping their co-workers up-to-date on union news
answering questions or directing them to someone who knows the answer
making sure their coworkers’ ideas and concerns are heard within SHARE
being an expert on a particular topic, like workers compensation, who members can call with questions
supporting members who have a disciplinary meeting with their manager
supporting members who have a non-disciplinary issue to discuss with their manager
Reps have a 1-year term
SHARE Executive Board members do the same things that regular SHARE Reps do, plus:
they have responsibility for the whole union, and meet every few weeks to address union-wide issues
they form the negotiating team when our contract is up for re-negotiation every few years
Executive Board Members have a 2-year term
Please let us know if you would like to be a SHARE Area Rep or Executive Board Member, would like to suggest a coworker for Rep or Executive Board, or if you would like to know more about what those roles involve.
Take care, stay safe, and stay connected!
The SHARE Staff:
Andrea (andrea.caceres@theshareunion.org)
Jana (jana.hol@theshareunion.org)
Elisabeth (elisabeth.szanto@theshareunion.org)