A New SHARE Union: UMass Memorial--Marlborough Hospital

For those of you who haven’t heard, we’re lending support to employees at our sister location in Marlborough who wish to join SHARE. Impressed by what we’ve accomplished, they’ve come to us with a request to join in. If you have friends at UMass Memorial’s Marlborough Hospital, we could use your help connecting them with our union.

A Rising Tide

SHARE believes that everyone benefits when workers have a say. We’re making work better for ourselves, and we want our colleagues up the road to have that opportunity, too. What’s good for Marlborough Hospital is good for UMass Medical School, and for the Central Massachusetts community.

SHARE is a union unique to UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Hospital, tailored to our needs here. Our region is distinct, with its own economic challenges. We know that inequality is hurting us. Without unions to advocate for middle-class wages, employers alone dictate the market rate.

Our connections make us strong, and we want to strengthen and be strengthened by the inclusion of the UMass Memorial's Marlborough location, to enlist the help of our colleagues toward improving the area where we live and work.

Everyone Should Be Free to Participate

We want our friends in Marlborough to know that our SHARE union gives us opportunities to compare notes, to talk and think together, to build structures for making improvements. Like our hospital’s senior administration, we believe in the mission of our institution. We also believe that a labor-management partnership can make our University vibrant and resilient. We can’t do it without each other. We believe that the same is true in Marlborough.

We Want to Share Values and Strength

There are 500 of us (plus 2700 of our friends in SHARE at UMass Memorial Hospital), and our relationships with our employer are extremely complex. As a matter of principle, we maintain kind and respectful conversations with those in management roles. We have support and assistance from in-house SHARE staff organizers who help this happen. Perhaps most importantly, we can have those conversations safely because our union affords us an independent source of power. Our friends at Marlborough need this, too. They deserve to negotiate their own agreements with their hospital leaders.

Let’s Connect

If you can help connect SHARE Organizers with friends who work at Marlborough Hospital, let us know. If you can help us make an introduction, or would like to know more about what we’re doing, please call the SHARE office (508-929-4020) and leave a message on the voicemail for one of the Marlborough SHARE Organizers to call you back.

Come Cheer the Sox with SHARE: Tickets Available now

Let's Go SHARE!
Labor Day this year is going to be a lot of fun. The Red Sox will have just swept the Yankees (right?), the weather’s going to be perfect, and SHARE will be a week away from its 20th birthday.

We’re looking forward to it, too, because we reserved a couple nice blocks of seating for Union Night at Fenway, when the Sox host the Blue Jays . . .

  • Date: Labor Day 2017 (Monday, September 4th)
  • Time: 7:10 pm
  • Place: Fenway Park!
  • Cost: $30 in the bleachers, or $15 in the upper bleachers.

Seems like a pretty decent way to round out the Summer and honor the contributions that workers have made to our country. In our section, we’ll be sitting with members our sister NEOP unions, including SHARE at UMass Memorial Hospital, HUCTW (the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers), and USW (the Union of Social Workers at Cambridge Health Alliance).

To sit in our block and take advantage of the discounted union rate, purchase tickets directly from this Red Sox website. Your family and friends are welcome to join in, too. Deadline for purchasing tickets is July 31, 2017.

Questions? Please contact Bobbi-Jo Lewis.  

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Worcester City Council Votes to Support Increases to the Minimum Wage

President Kennedy popularized the expression that “a rising tide lifts all boats,” the idea that if the general economic conditions of community improve, everyone in that community benefits. Of course, these kinds of economic tides don’t raise themselves.


Khrystian King.JPG
City Councilor Khrystian King presents his
proposal to support an increase to the minimum wage
One of the most difficult aspects of any contract negotiations is the raise. How much should employees make? Most employers rely heavily on the idea of market rates and industry standards in order to develop their answer to that question. There’s a logic to that. And, at the same time, market rates and industry standards aren’t designed to help people lead better lives.
According to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator, a living wage for a family with two adults and two children in Worcester County requires each parent to make at least $15.81 per hour. The success of SHARE and other unions in our community to maintain solid wages and benefits work to benefit Central Massachusetts as a whole, raising the tide, and normalizing a livable income.
One factor in improving the economic climate, the minimum wage, is a relatively recent idea. It has its own fascinating history, its origins involving exploding bakeries, a blue eagle, and a guy who may or may not have been drunk. The minimum wage is designed to increase wages up the scale, expanding and strengthening the middle class. Additionally, proponents argue that, for employers, higher wages mean more efficient workers and less employee turnover, making it easier to recruit and retain workers and helping their bottom line. And, that when workers have more money in their pockets, they spend it at small businesses in their neighborhoods, helping those local businesses grow and create more jobs.

SHARE Staff Organizer Jana Hollingsworth joined others at a recent Worcester City Council meeting to promote an increase to the minimum wage in Massachusetts. A number of residents presented to the Council, describing how an increase to the minimum wage would improve their families' lives. The Council voted to back a minimum wage increase to $15 by the year 2021, a measure that would directly raise the income of 40% of Worcester residents who currently make less than that, according to one figure cited at the meeting.
The increase must still be voted on in the State Legislature, in the form of House Bill 2365 and Senate Bill 1004. The Worcester Telegram and Gazette reports that, “under the legislation, the minimum wage would increase by $1 annually, starting Jan. 1, 2018, until it reaches $15 in 2021. The minimum wage would then be adjusted each year to rise with the cost of living.”
Worcester City Council.JPG
SHARE Staff Organizer Jana Hollingsworth's view of the City Council Chamber

Of course, another way to participate in shaping a more favorable economic climate, one that promotes fairness and well-being, is through a union. Research shows that declines in unionization are linked to increasing inequality. At the same time, researchers find that a disproportionate number of women, African Americans, and Latinos currently make less than fifteen dollars an hour.

Support the United Way with Chocolate and Adorableness!

You could
WIN
a lot of
CHOCOLATE!



Join our sister SHARE union and UMass Memorial Hospital in supporting the United Way by purchasing raffle tickets. SHARE will be hosting a table where you can enter to win either (or both!) of these exciting prizes:



  • A basket brimming with chocolate treats
  • A basket featuring a diaorama with one adorable handmade mouse (see photos below)

Contents of these gift baskets have been donated by members of the SHARE organizing staff. Raffle tickets cost one dollar each, with all proceeds going to support the United Way. You can enter to win at one of the following locations and times:

University Campus Cafeteria Thursday, April 13th 11:30-1:30

Memorial Campus Cafeteria Friday, April 14th 11:30-1:30

If you have questions, or work on another campus and can't come to our table to enter in person, please call the SHARE office (508-929-4020).

Handmade Mouse by Tracie Cahan
This could be yours!

Upcoming SHARE Union Drop-In Hours

Join us at one of the following drop-in times to discuss what's happening with our union now. Please feel free to stop by with a quick question, or to stay a while and bring your lunch.

SOUTH STREET

  • April 6, 2017 (noon-1:30) Brazil Conference Room
  • May 4, 2017 (noon-1:30) Brazil Conference Room
  • June 1, 2017 (noon-1:30) Brazil Conference Room

MAIN UMMS CAMPUS

  • April 20, 2017 (noon-1:30) Sherman Building: AS6.2072
  • May 18, 2017 (noon-1:30) Lazare Research Building: Michelson Conference Room
  • June 15, 2017 (noon-1:30) S1-123
  • July 20, 2017 (noon-1:30) Sherman Building: AS6.2072
  • August 17, 2017 (noon-1:30) Lazare Research Building: Michelson Conference Room

If these meetings do not work for you and your colleagues, give us a call and we'll work with you to schedule a time and place that is more convenient: 508-929-4020.

SHARE Presents: Lunchtime Piano Performances

SHARE invites you
to celebrate Spring
with music.


Chopin, Liszt, Mozart and Rachmaninoff

performed by
Orvill Delatorre




Free and open to the public
UMASS School of Medicine Lobby
From Monday, April 3rd - Friday, April 7th
Playing from 11 - 1 pm
(unless other activity is scheduled at the area)


Orvill is a graduate of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School, Boston, MA, and is currently a student of Cornell University's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Class of 2019.


His mother, Elsa, is a hospital interpreter and member of SHARE


Childcare Fund 2017 and Adoption Subsidy

SHARE/UMass Medical School 
Spring 2017 Childcare Fund

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: April 20, 2017

The SHARE Childcare Fund is now accepting applications for the Spring (and Fall) 2017 cycle. All SHARE union-eligible staff at UMMS are encouraged to apply and receive financial assistance for daycare, after-school programs, in-home childcare, and vacation, snow camp. Applications for the upcoming benefit period (April 1st, 2016 to September 30th, 2017) must be received no later than April 20, 2017.

***Current recipients NEED to REAPPLY.***


Download the full Childcare Fund Application and Guidelines 

Download the Childcare Fund Verification Form

If you have any questions please contact the fund coordinators:  

Dianne Williams                                 
dianne.williams@umassmed.edu         
508-856-5957                                         

Andrea Caceres
andrea.caceres@theshareunion.org
617-455-7717

SHARE/UMass Medical School

Adoption Subsidy

If your family is exploring adoption, you may wish to consider the SHARE Adoption Subsidy, which provides financial assistance for adoption costs. The award can only be used for expenses directly related to the legal adoption of a child. To learn more, please contact Andrea Caceres at andrea.caceres@theshareunion.org or 617-455-7717.

2017 Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship

The SHARE office recently received the following notice in the mail from Joe Carlson, the President of the Central Massachusetts AFL/CIO, about an annual scholarship opportunity. The lottery for these scholarships will be open to any SHARE members, as well as children and grandchildren of our members, who will graduate from high school this year and attend college next year. The details are posted below.

If you apply as a SHARE-UMMS member, you'll need to include the following information:
  • UNION AFFILIATION: SHARE/AFSCME
  • LOCAL UNION NO: 4000

Please note that applications should NOT be sent to the SHARE office. If you would like a copy of the nomination form, please click here.

***

To: All Affiliated Locals of the Central Mass AFL/CIO,

We are pleased to announce that we will be awarding six $1,000.00 scholarships as well as a number of  $500 Platinum sponsored scholarships.

The scholarship recipients will be drawn by lottery at the May community services committee meeting and the winners will be announced at the Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on Friday, June 2, 2017.

The scholarships will be presented at the Labor Day breakfast September 4, 2017

To be eligible, the student must be a 2016 graduating high school senior and going on to college, and a child, grandchild, or member whose local is affiliated with the Central Ma. AFL/CIO. Union members must live or work in the jurisdiction of the Central Ma. AFL/CIO.

All names must be submitted by April 28, 2017 and returned to:
Paul Soucy
AFL/CIO Labor Community Services
Central Ma. AFL-CIO
400 Washington St
Auburn, Ma. 01501


Fraternally Yours,
Joseph P. Carlson, President
Central Massachusetts AFL/CIO


Notes from the First UMMHC/UMMS Listening Session on Immigration

Addressing the audience at Friday’s “Listening Session on the Executive Order on Immigration,” UMMS Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Inclusion, Deborah Plummer, worked to provide reassurances, pointing out that our institutions are firmly committed to supporting our international students and colleagues.
The overfull auditorium hosted an informal question and answer session relating to the recent Executive Order which prohibits entry into the US by people from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen. If you missed this one, the entire UMMS community is invited to attend the next

Listening Session on the Executive Order on Immigration
Tuesday, February 7, 12:00-1:00pm
Auditorium, 333 South Street, Shrewsbury Campus
Additionally, to address the great many specific legal questions, the Immigration Services Office and the UMass General Counsel’s office is hosting an


Immigration Law Discussion
Thursday, February 9th at 11:30am
UMMS Amphitheater in S2-102
Vanessa Paulman, UMMS Director of Immigration Services, highlighted that, at the heart of the University’s commitment, the UMass university system has signed on to the lawsuit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, which directly challenges the legality of the Executive Order.


In this First Listening Session, there were more questions than answers, including:
  • How to best care for those refugee patients who are frightened, for legal reasons, about identifying themselves, and might be foregoing important medical care
  • What to do if you or someone you know about is being treated differently in the workplace as a result of their nationality
  • How to help friends and family who are seeking entry to the US
  • How to keep updated about the evolving legal issues involved
The facilitators promised that both institutions would ramp up communication and provide useful information to members of our community. Some things are already clear. Although permanent residents of the US who were born in one of the above-listed countries are no longer banned from entry, the facilitators still discouraged them from international travel.


Like so many in the room, SHARE leaders are still working to make sense of the legal changes and the effect on our members and our patients. We know that the Executive Order has created anxiety and unease among our members, all of whom work here legally, in service of the missions of our employers.

If you have particular concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact the SHARE office. We will be happy to help you find any support and answers that you need. Additionally, we recommend contacting UMMS’ Immigration Services Office, Diversity and Inclusion Office, or the Employee Assistance Program.

Did You Know: Union Dues Are Tax-Deductible

Did you know that you can deduct the dues that you pay for SHARE membership in your taxes?
A complete list of miscellaneous deductions that can be itemized on your 1040 Form can be found on the Internal Revenue Service website.

If you do itemize your taxes, here’s some numbers that you’ll need: In 2016, SHARE dues for members at UMass Medical School were $17.15, paid every-other-week, for a total of 26 times per year. (Members who worked 20 hours per week were charged $12.84 per dues period.)

Union Plus College Scholarship--DEADLINE TUESDAY

The Union Plus Education Foundation is now receiving applications for their 2017 Scholarship Program. The awards range from $500 to $4,000.

The application deadline is Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

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, 2017.
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 2017 - 2018 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 School-side is AFSCME Local 4000. The SHARE School-side co-presidents are Holly St. Jean and Kathy Bateman.
For more details, and to access the online application dashboard, please see the Union Plus Scholarship website.

Small SHARE Dues Increase in 2017

How much will SHARE union dues be in 2017?

For 2017 dues will increase for most members by 33 cents per pay period. Below are the old and dues new rates . The new rate will be effective on the first pay check you receive in January 2017.

Per Pay Period 
(2 weeks)
2016 rate
2017 rate
Regular dues rate
$17.15
$17.48
20-hours/week
$12.84
$13.09

That's a total annual increase of $8.58 ($6.50 for employees working 20 hrs/week). 

Where does the money go?
The money from dues supports the work that SHARE does. It pays for the organizers' salaries, office rent and supplies, phones, printing costs and postage for mailings –  all the things we need to negotiate good contracts, keep people informed, help members to solve problems if they come up, and to support members in having a voice in the workplace. A portion of the dues also goes to our national union, AFSCME, in Washington, and helps to pay for other groups of employees forming unions in their workplaces, and for research and lobbying.

How is the dues increase determine?

Our national union, AFSCME, calculates the annual increase based on the average raise for AFSCME members across the country. The new rate goes into effect each January.

Are my SHARE dues eating my raise every year?

SHARE members gain more than non-union employees even taking the cost of dues into account. In fact, from the end of June 2012 to the end of June in 2016 SHARE members got more raises than non-union employees. SHARE members will also get raise at the end of June in 2017.  SHARE members get bigger raises (the difference in any particular year between a union raise and non-union raise is small, but the difference adds up). And each year the advantage of being in SHARE grows by having a voice in issues that affect us.

In what ways does having a union give SHARE members a voice?
  • In contract negotiations, we have a voice in our pay, benefits and work policies
  • In union meetings and individual conversations, we have a voice in the direction and priorities of the union
  • Through the problem-solving process, we have a voice when individual problems/conflicts come up at work
  • In union elections, we have a voice in who our representatives will be
  • Through committees and ad-hoc negotiations, we have a voice in issues that face groups of SHARE members 

Questions?

You can talk to any of our E-board members or local reps who are active with SHARE, or call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020 or email us at share.umms@theshareunion.org

2016-2017 SHARE Leaders

Congratulations to the new and returning SHARE representatives, who are now considered elected! 

Many thanks to those who served last year as SHARE Reps and Executive Board members and have since stepped down because of promotions, new jobs, retirement and other responsibilities. And congratulations to new and continuing Reps and Executive Board members.

Our elected SHARE leaders are listed here below.

EXECUTIVE BOARD
Holly St. Jean, DCS -- Co-President
Kathleen Bateman, Pathology -- Co-President
Erika Rios, DES-OH -- Treasurer
Tammy Brailey, MaPS -- At-large Executive Board Member
A. J. Iaconi, Psych CCU -- At-large Executive Board Member
Valerie Mount, Animal Medicine -- At-large Executive Board Member
Tina Pierce, Office of Undergrad Med Ed -- At-large Executive Board Member

AREA REPS

 Main Campus
Christopher Barry, Animal Medicine
Beverly Potts, Animal Medicine 
Karen Lekas, Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
Heidi Beberman, Bioinformatics & Integrative Biology
Kerry Magoun, Environmental Health and Safety
Sue Collette, Medical Education
Sue Graceffa, Molecular Medicine 

South Street 
Belinda O'Brien, DES
Lidia Miranda, DES 
Stephanie Therrien, Medicare Appeals

CCU
Antonio Jimenez, Psych --CCU
Ashley Richard, Psych -- CCU
Charles Williams, Psych -- CCU

Child Care Fund Coordinator
Dianne Williams, Psych --SPARC

An Area Rep keeps in touch with up co-workers in their area, helping to make sure that members' questions are answered and their opinions and concerns are heard. If you would like to be involved, please let us know -- extra volunteers are always welcome and needed.

Executive Board members help keep in touch with co-workers in their area too, but also with members campus-wide. They also meet monthly about what is going on in the whole union, make decisions about issues facing the union, and participate in contract negotiations when they are happening.

Free Associate Degrees for SHARE Members: An Update from AFSCME

We just received the following update from our parent organization, AFSCME, about the Free College Benefit. The program offers free Associate Degrees to SHARE members. And, the program has expanded to include Early Childhood Education degrees. Read on for more . . .



Dear SHARE members,

Back in July, we announced a new AFSCME benefit available to you and your family: a free associate degree from Eastern Gateway Community College. Your response has been overwhelming, with nearly 20,000 inquiries made, more than 5,000 applicants and more than 2,000 students currently enrolled in classes. We are thrilled that so many of you are taking advantage of this great benefit.
Having a college degree is more important than ever for getting ahead these days, but tuition costs just keep getting higher and higher. That's why the AFSCME Free College Benefit is absolutely free. You, your spouse, your children and grandchildren can earn a college degree without digging into your own pockets or piling on student debt. And because Eastern Gateway is a public, regionally accredited college, the credits you work hard to earn are transferable to other schools. This can literally save you and your family thousands of dollars.
You won’t be left to figure this out for yourself, either. Every student gets to talk to real people who will help you through the process. The classes are online, so they fit into anyone’s busy schedule, and there are tutors and coaches who make sure you aren’t on your own.
Get a Free Associate Degree
An associate degree can be your pathway to new opportunities, greater responsibility, a better job and higher wages. This is a unique opportunity — available only to AFSCME members, your families and retirees. You can find more information about the benefit and available degree programs here.
You work hard for your community, and that work can often go unsung. The AFSCME Free College Benefit is one more way AFSCME helps members secure the opportunities and the respect you deserve.
Enrollment for the first spring session is now open and Early Childhood Education degrees are now offered. Classes begin on January 17. Don’t wait to start this exciting new program and help grow your career!
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders

AFSCME President

Looking Ahead to Winter Weather

Weather is on the way

Some early predictions suggest that, in our neck of the woods, we're going to experience average to slightly-below-average temperatures this Winter. Of course, it's too early to know how many heavy snowfalls we're going to get.

With that in mind, below you'll find some information reprinted from last Winter. We've got a smart weather policy in our contract, and we want it to help your season go a little more smoothly . . .
INCLEMENT WEATHER AND THE TIME OFFSET OPTION

In conversations leading up to the previous contract negotiations, it became clear that SHARE members saw a greater need for flexibility during inclement weather situations, which led us to negotiate the Time Offset Option as a new part of our Inclement Weather contract language.

The contract says:
Time Offset Option 
Employees who are excused from job duties due to inclement weather may, at their discretion, workplace conditions permitting, choose to make up the lost time, instead of using their own earned time. The time missed due to the weather event can be made up in a single instance or in increments, and must be worked within the same pay period as the event.

About the Time Offset Option
This option is only available to “non-essential employees” and your ability to use this option will vary depending on your workplace conditions--for example, the kind of work that you do, the tasks at hand, the hours that you cover, etc. Throughout any weather event, you should have clear communication with the appropriate supervisor about your needs and the needs of the department. 

Since this Time Offset Option is new to supervisors as well as to SHARE members, to minimize confusion we recommend you and your supervisor talk through the specific expectations before the bad weather hits. There might not yet be any standards on how your department implements this new Time Offset Option, so the details might need to be worked out. Please feel free to ask advice and help of your SHARE union rep, who will be happy to help you address your individual needs and work with you and your department to develop standards if needed.

About Inclement Weather and "Essential" Employees
Because some essential functions of the Medical School must be maintained, and some departments cannot simply close, usually those that operate 24/7 or 7-days a week, a plan for staffing coverage is needed. To be clear about who has to come to work in these cases, employees need to be designated as “essential” or “non-essential” by their department head. If there is confusion or disagreement about an employee’s designation, it should be discussed by the employee and the department head, either of whom may also ask for help from the Union and/or the Office of Labor and Employee Relations.

For More Details
The SHARE-UMMS inclement weather policy, including the Time Offset Option, can be found on page 12 of the contract. If you have any questions please email us at share.umms@theshareunion.org or call the SHARE office: 508-929-4020.


2016 SHARE-UMMS NOMINATIONS OPEN -October 4th-19th.

All SHARE members should receive a postcard at home announcing that the 2016 nominations are open for SHARE Representatives and SHARE Executive Board.

Our union is built on every member having a voice at the workplace. And the union's strength lies in the active participation of its members!

There are lots of ways to participate: coming to union meetings, giving your input, reading the blog, keeping in touch with coworkers, signing petitions, asking questions and getting involved in SHARE elections!

SHARE members can nominate themselves or nominate other SHARE members to become a SHARE Area Representative or a member of the SHARE Executive Board. Nominations are now open and all nominations must arrive at the SHARE office by noon Wednesday, October 19th, 2016.

SHARE Area Representatives (or Reps) are members who volunteer to help with communication – building community and making sure that every SHARE member knows someone who is active within the union. Reps are elected for one-year terms, but can serve multiple terms. Ideally, we would like Reps in all departments. To guarantee one union Rep for every 50 SHARE members, we are expanding the number of positions.

The open Rep positions are: 10 for the main campus, 8 for South Street, 5 for CCU and 3 for all offsite locations combined. Extra volunteers are always welcome.  **NOTE: Current SHARE reps who wish to continue as Reps must also be nominated.

SHARE Executive Board Members (or E-Board Members) have responsibility for the whole union.  E-Board Members participate in contract negotiations when they are happening, and make decisions about the direction of our union. E-Board meetings happen once a month for 2 hours (release time from work has been negotiated for E-board members to attend).

This year 4 Executive Board Members will be elected for 2-year terms: Vice President, Treasurer and two at-large Executive Board members.

To run for Rep or E-Board Member you must be nominated in writing, either by a co-worker or by yourself.  You must also have been a dues-paying SHARE member for at least the last 6 months. 

What to include in your nomination:
  • the name, department and phone number of the person you are nominating
  • the position for which you are nominating them
  • your name and phone number
You may send an email to share.elections@theshareunion.org or fax nominations to the SHARE office at 508-929-4040, but it is a good idea to call to confirm that your nomination arrived. The phone number at the SHARE office is 508-929-4020.

After the close of the nomination period, all nominees will be given the opportunity to decline the nomination.  If they do not decline, their name goes on the ballot. If there are more candidates than positions, we will hold an election on Wednesday, October 28 2015; times and locations for voting will be mailed to all SHARE members.


If you want to talk about what it would be like to be a SHARE Rep or to be on the Executive Board, or if you have questions, please call Andrea at the SHARE office (508-929-4020 ex. 29) or talk to someone you know who is involved with SHARE.

Interviewer in the Spotlight: Laurie Lynch

by Kirk Davis, SHARE Staff Organizer

Laurie Lynch is relentlessly curious. She is best known to SHARE blog readers as the architect and interviewer behind the “Member in the Spotlight” series on the SHARE-UMMS blog. We consistently seek ways to make work feel like a more fun and respectful place, and Laurie Lynch had one particularly focused vision for making that happen.

Each month for six months, Laurie gave us a portrait of a SHARE member at UMMS. You could call it fifteen minutes of local fame. But Laurie’s aim was something bigger, something more meaningful.

When she conducted an interview, Laurie’s questions went here to there and back again. They were icebreakers. They were mundane. They were lofty. They were weird. The questions stabbed from odd angles into a person’s personality. The results were always surprising. And in the end, the interviews weren’t exactly about employees of UMass Medical School, they were beautiful glimpses into the complex lives of people with whom we cross paths every day.

Turning the Spotlight on the Interviewer

We intend to continue in the tradition, using Laurie’s example as a way to further develop our community. Along those lines, now that Laurie has moved on to a “new” career (one which she adored for over a decade, before the facility shut down), we’ll shine the spotlight up through the dust trail she’s left behind her (she’s always on the move) as a way of saying thank you to her for her excellent work on the SHARE organizing staff.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree

Laurie’s from Earth. But, if you push her further on that question, she’ll tell you she’s grew up in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. With three siblings, a wonderful father, and a mother who was and still is an absolute animal lover. There, when she was ten, she met her future husband; they began dating when she was twelve. They eventually married. By the time she was nineteen, they owned their first home in Douglas, where they still live together to this day with their polite and amazing thirteen and fourteen year-old sons.  

Along the way, Laurie picked up a degree in Animal Science from Becker College, and one in Psychology from Bay Path University. Laurie Lynch is constantly fostering dogs, cats, and, from what I can tell, helping entire populations of displaced pets to find new homes. She has traveled around the US, attending all sorts of animal-trainings and conferences, learning how to help continue to aid and improve the lives of animals in research.

Laurie the Shoeless Organizer

Laurie worked as a SHARE staff organizer, brilliantly if briefly, over the past year, mostly with the UMass Medical School side of our union. Early in her work with SHARE, she went “organizing” with another member of the SHARE staff, Andrea Caceres. They went to stop in on a number of SHARE members that day, providing updates about SHARE events, answering questions, and generally keeping in touch with members.

At that point, Laurie didn’t know many members. But she’s a good listener, good-humored and a good sport. Although she was determined to be a dutiful work partner to Andrea, *snap!*, Laurie’s sandals gave up before she did.

And then, somehow, Laurie found herself being convinced by Andrea that they needed to continue through the halls until they had reached everyone they were looking for. So, they made a quick stop in the University Bookstore. When they emerged, Laurie’s feet were shod in a new pair of fluorescent socks. Of course, Laurie wondered if that might not seem a little weird, but when Andrea told her to just keep looking up, nobody would notice, Laurie didn’t flinch, and bravely padded along in her new job.

Laurie Now

Laurie has since returned to a career in Animal Behavioral Research, a track she began with a series of positions at Harvard University. While Laurie was working at SHARE, a Principal Investigator from Brown University approached her and offered her a job she couldn’t refuse, managing his animal lab. She’s back to playing with monkeys all day, trying to figure out how to make them happiest, and learning along the way about animal and human behavior, neuroengineering, optogenetics, and groundbreaking scientific discovery. We miss her here, but we’re very excited that she’s back to doing what she loves; research and caring for primates and all the other wonderful animals in her lab.


20 Fun Facts about Laurie Lynch
  • Favorite color – Blue
  • Favorite season – Fall
  • Beach or woods – Woods
  • The first thing you think of when you hear the word “chocolate?” - Nay
  • What was your worst kitchen disaster? Hmmmmm, well it might not be the kind of kitchen disaster you were looking for, but it happened in my childhood kitchen. My older brother convinced me it would be a good idea to play with matches when I was about 6 or 7. Long story short… the trash light on fire in the kitchen, which caught the curtains on fires, which lead to the wall, etc. It was very early in the morning, my dad was at work and my mom was sleeping. Once my brother finally realized it was out of control, he let me go wake my mother who was able to put most out before the fire department arrived and finished the job for her.
  • Do you have any pets (ha ha!) – 2 adopted dogs and 2 adopted ferrets and most of the time a foster dog in search of their forever home.
  • If you could keep any kind of pet (ethically and responsibly, of course), what would it be? A horse. I’ve always wanted a horse, just don’t have the time, space and money a horse requires.
  • Dream vacation – Anywhere, as long as my husband and kids are there and we are all safe and happy
  • Favorite style of music – Depends on my mood
  • Do you untie your shoes when you take them off –  No
  • Gift you have given others most often – Probably framed photographs
  • Favorite day of the week – Saturday… day most often spent with family and friends
  • T.V. shows you secretly enjoy – Teen Mom
  • What's your biggest pet peeve – Mean people
  • Do you have dream car – Nope
  • If you got stranded on a deserted island with no power source, what 5 items would you bring – Solar or crank-chargeable radio, lighter, tent, fishing gear and water purifier
  • How’d you get your name? – My mother was named after her mother and my oldest sister after the two of them. My brother was named after my father. My 2nd oldest sister’s name is Sherie Jean, so they wanted our names to be as similar as possible so they named me Laurie Jean (our names kinda rhyme, and end in “rie,” and we have the same middle name.)
  • What languages do you speak – English only
  • Favorite hobbies –  Spending time with my boys!
  • Fun fact that not everyone knows about you – I foster dogs and occasionally cats. Oh and a more interesting one is that I LOVE going ghost hunting at “haunted” locations, like inns and old abandoned prisons.   
  • Do you have a favorite life motto – Live, Laugh, Love

Questions or suggestions about this website? Email kirk.davis@theshareunion.org