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Contract Negotiations Update

On Tuesday, April 1st, SHARE Executive Board members and SHARE staff met with management and Labor Relations for our third contract negotiation session.

  • UMass Chan Management showed a slide presentation which explained the impact of the NIH Funding cuts, and how it is affecting the school.

  • We participated in a questions and answers session to understand fully the potential ramifications for our members.

  • We learned about the NIH grant approval process, and that these grants are currently not being approved, creating a large backlog of grant applications with no timetable for approval.

  • We discussed the effects of potential Medicaid budget cuts, and what that could mean for UMass Chan, and UMass Memorial Health.

  • Our team is continuing to brainstorm how to navigate these contract negotiations during these difficult and uncertain times. We will be meeting again in April with the UMass Chan team and continuing with our negotiations.

  • We will continue to keep you posted with as much info as we can.

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Information on Furloughs, and how they differ from Layoffs

This week, UMass Chan announced the furloughs of 6 SHARE members as a cost saving measure for the University as they experience significant financial hardships due to NIH Grants not being renewed or continued. SHARE is continuing to support these 6 members through this process.

Some of our members have reached out to SHARE inquiring as to the difference between a layoff and a furlough. We would like to provide as much information as we can.

Furlough: A Furlough is like a temporary layoff. This furlough may be partial, meaning that an employee’s number of shifts may be reduced by one or more days. If the employee is fully furloughed, they may not return to work until notified by UMass Chan.

Once Furloughed, the employee will be paid out their vacation time in a lump sum, and may apply for Unemployment Assistance while they wait to return to work, while continuing to hold status as an active UMass Chan employee.

Furloughed employees will still have to pay the employee rate of their GIC health insurance while on furlough, and may continue to pay for all other voluntary benefits.

These Furloughs will not last longer than six months, and will result in the employee either retuning to their position, or their status could be changed to a layoff, at which point the language in our contract regarding layoffs (see below) would apply, including a notice period.

Layoffs: A layoff is when a SHARE member is notified that their position is no longer needed. They are given a 30 day notice, and every effort is made to place them in another position before that notice period expires.

If a SHARE employee is laid off and returns to a SHARE position at UMass Chan within one year, their most recent date of hire before the layoff, adjusted by the length of the layoff, will be restored for purposes of general salary increases, vacation accrual rate, and eligibility for the Tuition Assistance program.

In a layoff situation, Severance will be paid in the amount of one week for every year of completed service with a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of eight weeks, unless they are funded by a grant or a contract that does not provide for severance. If an employee is facing layoff due to the end of a grant or contract that does not provide severance, SHARE and UMass Chan will explore options for the member’s financial security in partnership on a case-by-case basis. Laid off employees shall remain on a recall list for a period of one year.

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SHARE Member Questions About UMass Chan Spending Freeze Email

Yesterday, the SHARE negotiating team met with the UMass Chan management negotiating team for the first session of 2025 contract negotiations.

 

A couple of hours before our meeting began, the Medical School sent out an email to the whole community about “Hiring and discretionary spending”. It said, among other things:

  • All hiring, including for faculty, grant-funded positions and summer internships, are paused until further notice. At the present time, only ForHealth Consulting is exempt from this pause.

  • Promotions and raises, including the annual July 1 salary increase program, are on hold.

  • Targeted furloughs and layoffs are, unfortunately, going to be necessary and are currently being discussed with the leaders of academic and administrative departments.

  • In addition, all new discretionary spending is paused until further notice. Discretionary spending includes, but is not limited to, the use of university funds for: conferences, consultants and contractors, travel, food and events, and memberships, dues and subscriptions.

 

This affects SHARE members and everybody else in the community. The SHARE negotiating team has requested that the management team bring in someone who can explain more about what this means for SHARE members, for discussion at one of our next negotiations meetings.

 

We know that many of you may have questions about the “Hiring and discretionary spending” email. Please get your questions to us this week, so that we can send our questions to the management team before we meet.

Email us at- Share.umms@TheShareUnion.Org

 

In solidarity,

The SHARE staff: Jameal Jackson, Jana Hollingsworth, A.J. Iaconi, Elisabeth Szanto

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SHARE Member Meeting Recap And Update on Contract Negotiations

On Wednesday, February 19th, SHARE held back-to-back half-hour meetings for members, at 12:00, 12:30, and 1:00. People dropped in on their lunch break. For those who were not able to attend, below are the agenda topics (numbered) and some of the things that came up in discussion (the bullets). Please let us know if you have any questions.

Next series of Member Meetings: Wednesday, March 19th beginning at 12pm

1.   Survey about the next Contract

  • We discussed the completed survey participation from SHARE members. We talked about negotiation priorities as indicated by our members in the survey.

2. NIH Funding

  • We talked about what we think this means for our members

  • Discussed future job opportunities

  • Too early to worry? Maybe okay for this year?

3.   Scholarship opportunities

  • Central Mass AFLCIO Scholarship applications available now

  • For more info- See blog post from February 21st

Contract Negotiations Update:

  • On Tuesday, March 11th, members of UMass Chan Labor Relations and management gathered with the SHARE Executive Board and SHARE organizers to begin negotiating our upcoming contract.

  • This first session was mainly introductory, involving a joint training on Interest Based Bargaining.

  • We have set a schedule for our next few sessions and will meet again on March 18th.

    On the morning of negotiations, UMass Chan released a communication regarding budget cuts as they relate to possible NIH funding cuts. At negotiations, SHARE requested for UMass Chan to provide more information about these cuts, and what that will mean for our members. We hope to have a more in-depth conversation about this issue in upcoming negotiation sessions.

Useful links:

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Now Accepting Applications for the Childcare and Academic Enrichment Funds

SHARE/UMass Chan Medical School Childcare Fund

The SHARE Childcare Fund is now accepting applications for the Spring (and Fall) 2025 cycle. All SHARE union-eligible staff at UMass Chan are encouraged to apply and receive financial assistance for daycare, after-school programs, in-home childcare, vacation, snow and summer camps.

(***Current recipients NEED to REAPPLY.***)

Click Here For The Childcare Fund Application

*If you prefer a printable version of the application, please click HERE You can mail this application to the SHARE Union, 50 Lake Ave, Worcester Ma 01604 Or Fax it to: 508-929-4040

The Academic Enrichment Fund

The Academic Enrichment Fund is a negotiated fund that helps SHARE employees with the costs of supplemental academic activities for their children, ages 5 to 18. This includes activities such as tutoring, summer classes, SAT prep courses, and college application fees. 

 Click Here For The Academic Enrichment Fund application 

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. (See contact info below)

For more information about the Childcare Fund, Academic Enrichment Fund or Adoption Subsidy, please contact:
Jameal Jackson
Jameal.Jackson@theshareunion.org
617-429-1194

For More info about other SHARE member benefits click below: https://www.shareumms.org/why-membership-matters

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Register for a free Student Loan Webinar on 3/11

Unlock student loan savings!

Are you looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Join Savi on March 11th at 4PM ET to hear from their student loan experts and learn how to maximize your savings and find the right income-driven repayment plan through Savi’s free online tool.

Register for Webinar here

As a SHARE member, you are entitled to additional exclusive benefits through UnionPlus. Click the picture below to find out more about cutting down your student loan debt through UnionPlus.

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2025 Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Scholarship Opportunity (Copy)

The SHARE office recently received the annual notice from Joe Carlson, President of the Central Massachusetts AFL/CIO, about a really great scholarship opportunity for members. 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.

Please note that the union affiliation should be identified as AFSCME/SHARE. Members at UMass Chan Medical School are in Local 4000. Applications should NOT be sent to the SHARE office. They should be mailed to the address listed on the above letter.

Good luck!

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SHARE Member Meeting Recap And Update on Contract Negotiations

On Wednesday, February 19th, SHARE held back-to-back half-hour meetings for members, at 12:00, 12:30, and 1:00. People dropped in on their lunch break. For those who were not able to attend, below are the agenda topics (numbered) and some of the things that came up in discussion (the bullets). Please let us know if you have any questions.

Next series of Member Meetings: Wednesday, March 19th beginning at 12pm

1.   Survey about the next Contract

  • We discussed the completed survey participation from SHARE members. We talked about negotiation priorities as indicated by our members in the survey.

2. NIH Funding

  • We talked about what we think this means for our members

  • Discussed future job opportunities

  • Too early to worry? Maybe okay for this year?

3.   Scholarship opportunities

  • Central Mass AFLCIO Scholarship applications available now

  • For more info- See blog post from February 21st

Useful links:

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Union Plus Scholarship Opportunity

As a SHARE Member, you are also a Union Plus member, entitled to exclusive benefits. There's still time to apply for the 2025 Union Plus Scholarships. Scholarship awards range from $500-$4,000 and are available to union members and their families to begin or continue their college education.

The application deadline is January 31, 2025.

Click the picture below to apply.

If you do not know your Union Plus member number, or if you have additional questions, please reach out to SHARE.UMMS@TheShareUnion.org

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Reclassification Requests Due January 30th

The SHARE contract gives individual SHARE members the right to request reclassification of their job through the union. You can make a request for reclassification through Thursday, January 30. Click here to download the request form as a printable pdf. Please read below for more about the process and preparation.

What is reclassification?

Reclassification means changing the grade level for a job. If the grade level assigned to a particular title no longer seems to match the level of work responsibilities, a job may need to be reclassified.

How does UMASS CHAN usually handle reclassification?

Under the UMass Chan Job Evaluation Policy, your manager can make a request on your behalf for the HR Compensation Department to review your job. HR Compensation evaluates the job description, consults with your manager, looking at the level of the job responsibilities, and how they compare to other jobs inside and outside of UMMS, and determines whether the grade is appropriate.

How is the SHARE process different?

UMass Chan has agreed to do some reclassification reviews that are not initiated by a department manager. SHARE can submit up to 10 individual reclassification requests per year to HR for review. The deadline to make a request is Thursday, January 30.

Example: Someone was hired as an Administrative Assistant I. New responsibilities were added, and they now fit better in an Administrative Assistant II job description. They can request a review of their job and present arguments for changing the grade.

How will the ten individuals be chosen?

Because our unit is big, and our slots are limited, preference will be given to people who:

  1. have already tried to use the UMMS Job Evaluation process but been unsuccessful; and

  2. have the strongest business case for reclassification of their job

I think my job should be reclassified. What should I do?

  1. Do your research: Ask HR for copies of the job descriptions for your job title and for any job titles you think would better match your job responsibilities. What job title do you think you should have? How does the job description match up?

  2. Talk to your manager: Tell them what you are thinking, and why. Show them the job descriptions. Ask what they think, and why.

    • If they agree with you, that’s great. See if they will submit your job to HR for review. There is no deadline for managers submitting these requests, and no ten-person limit.

    • If they disagree, try to get a clear understanding of where you and they disagree.

  3. Apply immediately: If your manager isn’t going to submit your job for reclassification review but you still think it should be reviewed, fill out a Reclassification Review Request application and email it by January 30 to these people:

If you would like help thinking about this, you can talk to a SHARE Rep, call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020, or email SHARE.UMMS@theshareunion.org.

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2025 Union Membership Dues Rates

AFSCME, SHARE’s parent union, has announced the dues rate increase for the upcoming year. The new bi-weekly rate for most SHARE members will be $22.40. This increase is a little more than one cent per hour. For SHARE members who work 20 hours/week, the new bi-weekly rate will be $16.78. The new rates are effective January 1, so they should be reflected in the January 17th paycheck.

WHY SHOULD I PAY DUES?

Dues are an investment that SHARE members make in themselves and their coworkers. Without a union, employees have very little leverage to make change, or even to hold onto what they have.

SHARE members want respect for the work that they do, fair treatment, opportunities for advancement, and good raises so that they can take care of themselves and their families. SHARE gives employees a voice in various ways:

  • 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, department-based Joint Working Groups, and ad-hoc negotiations, we have a voice in issues that face groups of SHARE members

When it comes down to dollars and cents, dues pay for themselves. SHARE has consistently negotiated raises each year that our union has existed - 25 years now. Those increases have resulted in better raises than our non-union counterparts and policies that reflect SHARE members’ needs.

Working together through the union, SHARE members can continue to make progress in all these areas. And dues support the staff who support this work.

HOW ARE DUES CALCULATED?

Any annual increase is calculated by the AFSCME International office based on the average percent increase of AFSCME members’ pay rates across the country in the previous year.

WHERE DO MY DUES GO?

The short answer is that dues mostly pays for SHARE staff.

The longer answer is that SHARE members at UMass Chan Medical School pool their dues money with members of three other unions locals: SHARE at UMass Memorial and Marlborough Hospital, HUCTW at Harvard University, and USW at Cambridge Health Alliance. The four union locals together are called the New England Organizing Project (NEOP). All their dues together pay for the union staff for all the locals, union offices, phones and utilities, mailings, etc. About 75% of the budget is for staff.

The staff spend their time gathering information and opinions from members, sharing information with members, developing and supporting SHARE Reps, helping members with questions or problems, negotiating contracts, organizing events, researching issues, writing blog posts, etc., all on behalf of SHARE members.

MORE INFORMATION

If you would like to know more, please talk to a SHARE Rep, email share.umms@theshareunion.org, or leave a message at 508-929-4020. You can also learn more about what our union does, and the benefits of union membership, by exploring www.shareumms.org.

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SHARE Member Meeting Recap for November 20th, 2024

On Wednesday, November 20th , SHARE held back-to-back half-hour meetings for members, at 12:00, 12:30, and 1:00. People dropped in on their lunch break. For those who were not able to attend, below are the agenda topics (numbered) and some of the things that came up in discussion (the bullets). Please let us know if you have any questions.

1. Quick Description of DC1 and DC2 Merger:

  • Close to having something to share with our members

  • At this point, SHARE and UMass Chan are crunching the numbers

2. Hiring Freeze and Layoffs in the Library:

  • Non-SHARE members were laid off in the library

  • SHARE is given a 30 day notice if any members are to be laid off so that we may try to negotiate a better alternative.

  • We also discussed the ongoing hiring freeze in the school

3. Contract Survey for 2025 negotiations

  • Coming in December!.

  • We ask that all SHARE members working at UMass Chan participate in the survey.

  • This helps SHARE determine the priorities to focus on during negotiations.

4. Personal Time Expiring Soon

  • Expiring in January

  • New accrual in January as well

  • For more info, see November 15th blog post

5. Mass Sick Leave Law

  • 40 hours of earned sick time is allotted for full time employees per Massachusetts Law.

  • This can be used for sick family members, or for yourself.

  • Begins January 1st.

  • The use of these Mass Sick hours does NOT count towards absenteeism for the purposes of discipline related to attendance.

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Inclement Weather Reminder

We hope everyone is staying warm and safe! This seems like a good time to remind SHARE members that we have contract language about Inclement Weather that may be useful. The full Article is on page 21 of our Contract.

Time Offset Option for “Non-Essential” Employees

For employees who are designated “non-essential”, if you miss work because of the weather, there may be an option to make up the time you missed instead of using your own vacation time. It will depend on the kind of work that you do, the tasks at hand, the hours that you cover, etc.

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.

Your department may already have a standard way of handling this. If not, you can show your supervisor the contract language and discuss how it applies in your case. You should both feel free to reach out to SHARE and/or the HR Office of Labor and Employee Relations to help figure out how to use the time offset option to meet your needs and the needs of the department.

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 SHARE and/or the HR Office of Labor and Employee Relations.

Questions?

Please talk to a SHARE Rep in your area or call the SHARE office: 508-929-4020.

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Personal Time Expiring Soon

The last day for SHARE members to use their 2024 Personal Time will be on January 11, 2025.  The 2025 Personal Time accrual will be reflected in the January 17th, 2025 paystub.

To avoid the potential loss of any Personal Time, we suggest you check your Personal Time by logging into your HR Direct account, or looking at your latest paystub.  If you have Personal Time that has not been used, check with your manager to see if you can use it before the deadline.

If you have any questions about personal time, or anything else, please contact share.umms@theshareunion.org

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SHARE Member Meeting Recap for September 18th and October 16th

In September and October, SHARE held back-to-back half-hour meetings for members, at 12:00, 12:30, and 1:00 on Wednesday September 18th and October 16th . People dropped in on their lunch break. For those who were not able to attend, below are the agenda topics (numbered) and some of the things that came up in discussion (the bullets). Please let us know if you have any questions.

September Meeting Notes:

1. Role of Reps in Negotiations

  • Next contract negotiations start early 2025

  • Next raise (July 2025) needs to be negotiated

  • Want a contact person or two in each department to keep information flowing: opinions about issues, solidarity activities like a poster, photo, song, etc.

  • Executive Board members will be in the room for negotiations, with the staff, as the negotiating team. They need to represent the views of the whole union, all 300 people.

2. Town Hall Recap – what did we hear?

  • Volunteer paid time off – making the forms process easier, all 501c3 organizations registered with Guidestar.org are now eligible, tracking and looking for trends, code in Kronos VSL

  • Great place to work survey – Boston Globe - curious to see what the survey looks like

  • Cancer Walk Sept 29 at Polar Park. Moving video.

  • Spent a lot of money on the quad and it’s a flood zone trying to aerate it

3. Anything else you would like to discuss?

  • DES DC issue – whose hands is it in? With HR Labor Relations. SHARE is waiting to see what is in it. Will share with DCs and discuss response.

  • Performance review form – needs to be submitted to HR (portal?) overall result? Manager needs to talk to HR.

  • Glasswashers’ reclass update – trying to come up with a standardized job description

 

October Meeting Notes:
1. A new SHARE union in the making!

  • Cambridge Health Alliance providers organizing a union with SHARE

  • Ready to file in the next couple of weeks

2. Reps and Executive Board elections

  • Enough positions for all nominees so no voting!

  • List coming soon of all SHARE Reps

3. Contract timeline

  • Member Survey coming in December

  • Summary of survey in January

  • Meet with management starting in February

  • Monthly member meetings, to keep you in the loop

  • Department contact people

  • Contract campaign

  • The July 1 “deadline”

  • Ratification vote

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Nominations and Elections for SHARE Reps and Executive Board Positions

ABOUT NOMINATIONS 

To run for SHARE Rep or Executive Board member 

  1. You must be nominated in writing by a SHARE member (a co-worker or yourself). 

  2. You must be a dues-paying SHARE member for at least 6 months prior to the election. 

  3. Current SHARE Reps who wish to continue as Reps need to be nominated again for the new term. 

 To nominate someone for SHARE Rep or Executive Board member 

1. You must be a dues-paying SHARE member.

2. Please send written nominations: 

  • by email to share.elections@theshareunion.org; or 

  • by fax to (508) 929-4040; or 

  • by U.S. mail to SHARE, 50 Lake Ave, Worcester, MA 01604. 

3. Nominations should include: 

  • the name, department and phone number of the person being nominated; 

  • the position for which they are being nominated; and 

  • the name and phone number of the person submitting the nomination. 

4. Nominations must arrive at the SHARE office by noon October 11, 2024.

We cannot accept late nominations

ABOUT ELECTIONS 

Determining whether there will be an election 

After the close of the nomination period, all eligible nominees will be offered the opportunity to decline the nomination. Anyone who does not decline is then a candidate. If there are more candidates than positions to fill, then we will hold an election from noon on Thursday, October 24, to noon on Tuesday, October 29, 2024. If there are enough positions for all nominees, then they are considered elected. All SHARE members will be notified about whether any elections are contested. 

How voting works if there is an election 

The election will be held by electronic ballot, hosted professionally by ElectionBuddy.com, an online voting service that meets the standards set by the U.S. Department of Labor and by our parent union, AFSCME. 

ElectionBuddy will send a link to your cell phone and/or email account for you to vote securely online. You can provide your cell phone number and/or personal email address, or request a ballot by mail, by emailing SHARE.Elections@theshareunion.org or talking to a SHARE staff organizer. The SHARE office phone number is 508-929-4020. 

The votes will be counted by ElectionBuddy and results will be available online to all SHARE members immediately after voting ends. 

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About Reps and the Executive Board  

Below are brief descriptions of the roles of Union Reps and Executive Board 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 other questions, please call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020, or talk to someone you know who is involved with SHARE. 

SHARE Representatives: A Rep is a contact person for their area. SHARE Reps get training from SHARE to relay information between co-workers and union leadership. The scope of the role can be as big or small as you want. 

SHARE Executive Board Members: Executive Board members have responsibility for the whole union. They make decisions about the direction of our union and participate in contract negotiations. There are 4 officer positions (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) and 4 at-large positions. 

Reps are elected for 1 year. Executive Board Members are elected for 2 year-terms, half in even numbered years and half in odd numbered years. If there are open seats with partial terms left to serve, they will also be up for election. Elections are usually held in the fall. 

Leadership positions up for election this year: 

SHARE Representatives – 40 positions (terms expire October 2025) 

  • Reps at Main Campus, ForHealth Consulting, and Offsite Locations 

SHARE Executive Board Members – 6 positions (terms expire Oct 2025 or Oct 2026) 

  • Vice-President; Treasurer; two at-large Executive Board members (terms expire Oct 2026)  

  • Two at-large Executive Board open positions (partial terms expiring Oct 2025)  

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A Brief History of Parking Rate Increases

As you may be aware, UMass Chan Medical School announced and implemented parking rate increases both last year and this year. SHARE understands the financial burden this puts on our members, and we have met with Labor Relations on several occasions to discuss these increases and make proposals for less costly alternatives. So far, UMass Chan leadership has been unwilling to agree to these alternatives.

We wanted to provide SHARE members with more details about these negotiations and proposals presented by SHARE.

A Sliding Scale

  • The Medical School referenced the cost of parking is at “peer institutions,” which included Worcester Garages like The Mercantile Center, Worcester Commons and Union Station. They also included Yale, UConn, Boston University Medical Campus, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center among many others.

  • SHARE Researched parking rates at what we saw as peer institutions, such as Yale, UConn and UMass Memorial (for non union employees) which all use a sliding scale, based on income. The less someone makes, the less they pay for parking. We recently added other institutions to this list: WPI, UMass Amherst, Assumption and Holy Cross with parking rates based on income, or no cost at all for employees.

  • On July 17th 2024, SHARE met with Labor Relations and John Lindstedt, the Executive Vice Chancellor of Finance for UMass Chan. SHARE staff and Executive Board members were able to voice their concerns about continued increases to parking rates, and ask many questions. SHARE proposed a sliding scale to UMass Chan, which was ultimately denied, for a second year in a row.

While UMass did not agree to the changes we proposed, we did notice a decrease in the rates this year and next year compared to the projected rate chart we received last year. They told us, “The University expects to reach the target rates in FY27. The target rates are based on an FY22 market and initially modeled to FY26 with set CPI increases. We delayed increasing the rates one year due to NERB construction, which pushed the model out to FY27. Please note the rates are subject to change and we will update the union accordingly with any revised rates.”

SHARE has heard, through our monthly member meetings, and from directly speaking with members that these increases significantly affect their finances. As always, SHARE will continue to look for feedback and support from our SHARE members as we push for a parking system that is financially reasonable.

If you have any questions regarding the parking increases, please feel free to reach out to us anytime at SHARE.UMMS@TheShareUnion.org

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