SHARE Observance of Juneteeth Holiday

June 19th recognizes an important event in realizing the full emancipation of slaves in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation officially served to end slavery, it took over two years for the words of that statement to be fully enacted. Ever since, Juneteenth has been celebrated both unofficially and officially in various states. The day became formally recognized in Massachusetts in 2007, and became a federal holiday in 2021. You can celebrate locally at events such as Worcester’s annual Black Heritage Festival.

UMass Chan Medical School had added the holiday to its list of official holidays last year. The State’s new legal designation also adds June 19th to the list of dates recognized under Massachusetts’ “Blue Laws,” thereby creating time-off and premium pay requirements for retail employers.

 SHARE values the importance of this day, recognizing the history of racism in our country, and the ways that the labor movement and the rights of BIPOC people (black people, indigenous people, and people of color) have been intertwined. SHARE will continue to work toward policies, pay structures, and cultural values that foster racial equity in our community.  

SHARE Member Meeting Notes From May 17th 2023

On Wednesday, May 17th, 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 lettered points). Please let us know if you have any questions.

1. Parking increases: The Med School has announced increased parking rates effective the first full pay period of July 2023

a. SHARE has had a preliminary meeting with HR to discuss the increases. We asked some questions, and made some points

b. We have asked for a follow up meeting with HR to continue these discussions

c. Members in our meeting were asked their thoughts on the increases, and which points they would like us to make as we prepare to make an alternative proposal to HR as permitted by our contract

 

2. Raises: effective July 2nd and will be seen in the July 21st paycheck

a. Increases are .75 cents or 2%, but for all of our members, .75 cents is more

b. Those who are still in a probationary period will receive a 1.5% increase to base following completion of their probation

 

3. Vacation hours over the cap

a. Any vacation hours you may be carrying over the cap of 240 hours must be requested by June 17th (because of the way the pay cycles fall) or they will be lost

 

4. Coming Soon! SHARE Housing Loan Program- The SHARE Housing Loan Program has been created in partnership with UMass Five Credit Union to assist SHARE members with the rising costs of moving, particularly with first, last and security deposits.

a.  $4000.00 max amount with 3.5% interest regardless of credit history (bankruptcy will prevent the loan)

b. Repay options = auto pay, or in person

c. 18 months repayment (no prepay penalties and can be paid off early)

d. Need to be a SHARE member and a member of the credit union ($5 min)

e. Quick 24hr turnaround time (either direct deposit or physical check)

 Contact Jameal Jackson with questions - Jameal.Jackson@theshareunion.org

5. Performance Evaluations and Self Evaluation Changes

a. in some areas there is confusion as to whether self evaluations must be completed. SHARE followed up with HR

b. HR said self evaluations are not required

c. HR wanted employees to consider a few questions before meeting with supervisor, like what are you proud of from the last year, and what do you want to work in this year

d. some departments treated those questions as self evaluation to be written up and submitted 

SHARE Raises Are Coming Soon

Hello SHARE members! We hope you’re all doing well! 

Summer is right around the corner, and for SHARE members every year when the temperatures rise, so do our pay rates!

Hourly raises of $0.75 or 2% (whichever is more for you) will take effect on July 2nd for all members who have completed their 6 month probation before that date. You should see these increases in your July 21st paychecks.

For those who are on the payroll on July 2nd, but haven’t completed your 6 month probation yet, you will still receive a 1.5% increase effective the first Sunday following the satisfactory completion of your probation. 

If you have questions regarding your raise, please reach out anytime to SHARE.UMMS@TheShareUnion.Org

We wish you all a relaxing summer, filled with joy and sunshine!


UMass Chan Medical School/Stillman’s Farm CSA Subscription

Hello SHARE members!

Lettuce tell you about this unique opportunity for UMass Chan Medical School employees.  If you’ve already “bean there-done that”, then you should know what an un-beet-able deal this is!

UMass Chan Medical School and Stillman’s Farm are offering an exclusive CSA (community supported agriculture) paid subscription for Medical School employees. For 16 weeks, Stillman’s farmers will hand pack a bag/box of produce for you. You may choose weekly or bi-weekly (every other week) pick up, at the University Campus.

This is the third year Stillman’s farm has offered this program to UMass Chan staff and students, and it’s been an awesome success. In fact, its kind of rad-ish!

For more information and additional benefits that come with this paid subscription (if you carrot all) click on this link:

Umass Chan Stillman's Farm CSA Info

When others see your veggie boxes, they will be green with envy!

“SHARE” your used books!

Hi SHARE members!

Don’t know what to do with your old children’s books? Look no further!

The City of Worcester, in partnership with the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO, is proudly sponsoring the annual “Worcester, The City That Reads” Book Drive. SHARE would like to do our part to contribute to this worthy cause.

We are asking SHARE members to gather any new or gently used books, suitable for grades Pre-K through 8th, and drop them off at the SHARE office, 55 Lake Ave, Worcester 01604, no later than May 2nd. Or, we could coordinate a time and place for a SHARE staff person to pick up your books from you.

SHARE will then deliver all the books collected to the Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO who will pass on these gifts of knowledge to the youth of Worcester.

Feel free to contact A.J. or Jameal if you have further questions. Thank you!

AJ.Iaconi@theshareunion.org

Jameal.Jackson@theshareunion.org








                                 








                                 




SHARE Member Meeting Notes 3/15/23

On Weds, March 15, 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 bulleted points). Please let us know if you have any questions.

SHARE Member Meeting 3/15/23

1.      Report on Contract Raises

a.      Previously reported

·         The Covid Appreciation Bonus was paid 12/9/22

·         The Raise was in the 12/23/22 paycheck

·         The Retro was in the 1/6/23 paycheck

b.      The update

·         performance bonuses for “exceeds” or “outstanding” – 1/20/23

·         probationary raises for people hired January-June 2022 – 3/3/23

·         review of people who were promoted out of SHARE after April 1, 2022 and missed the SHARE bonus and the non-union bonus – predicted for 3/17/23

2.      AFL-CIO Scholarship

Each year, the AFL-CIO in Central MA presents several union members’ children or grandchildren with several $500.00 or $1000.00 scholarships to assist with college costs. Please see the links below for more information and to apply.

·         https://theshareunion.net/scholarshipletter2023.pdf

·         https://theshareunion.net/scholarshipapplication2023.pdf

 

3.      Childcare Fund (up to 12) and NEW Academic Enrichment Fund (up to 18)

  In addition to the childcare fund which has assisted our members for years with costs for camps, after school programs and childcare, SHARE has recently negotiated new benefits available to members who have kids up to 18. These benefits can assist with paying for costs such as SAT prep, tutoring, and college application costs.

See links below for more info, or contact Jameal at Jameal.Jackson@theshareunion.org, or Andrea at Andrea.Caceres@theshareunion.org.

https://www.shareumms.org/ccf

https://www.shareumms.org/academic-enrichment

4.      Report on Reclassification Hearings

 This past week, we had our annual reclassification hearings with HR and management. This process is available every January to SHARE members who feel they are in the wrong grade for the work they perform.

This year, we had reclassification review applications from both the Mental Health Counselor and Animal Care Tech job titles. In both cases, SHARE members representing their coworkers presented their cases for grade and equity reviews. Shout out to our members Jeff and Charles from the ACCU and Samantha, Chris, Farren and Greg from Animal Medicine for doing an outstanding job!

5.      Other Topics

  • Weather (1 inch to 24 inches of snow!)

  • Working from home

  • People are busy and departments are hiring

Notice of Nominations & Elections for SHARE Leaders 

Nominations for SHARE Reps and Executive Board Members are open until noon on Monday, February 13, 2023.

Elections for any contested positions will be February 17-21, 2023.

It is time to elect SHARE Reps and Executive Board members! We are looking forward to having as many members as possible participate to keep our union strong.

You must be a dues-paying SHARE member to vote or to nominate someone. You must have been a member for at least 6 months to run for a SHARE leadership position. If you have not yet signed a SHARE membership card, please go to www.shareumms.org/join-share or talk to a SHARE Rep or Organizer.

 ABOUT REPS AND THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 

Descriptions of the different roles

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 a responsibility for the whole union. They make decisions about the direction of our union and participate in contract negotiations.

Reps are elected for 1 year. Executive Board Members are elected for 2 years. This election was delayed a few months because of contract negotiations, so the terms will be slightly shorter.

Leadership positions up for election this year

SHARE Representatives – 40 positions open

  • Reps at CCU, Main Campus, Commonwealth Medicine, and Offsite Locations (positions expire in October 2023).

SHARE Executive Board Members – 5 positions open

  • Vice-President; Treasurer; and two at-large Executive Board members (positions expire in October 2024).

  • Secretary (position expires October 2023, finishing a 2-year term).

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 this year. 

 

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 on February 13, 2023. 

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, February 17 to noon on Monday, February 21, 2023. 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.

                                                                      

 

 

Raise in 12/23 Check, Retro 1/6

HR Labor Relations has informed SHARE that our contract raise is scheduled for this week’s paycheck (12/23/2022) and the retro is scheduled for the next paycheck (1/6/2023).

What does this mean for me?

If you are eligible for the full 4.75% raise (you were a non-probationary SHARE member on July 3, 2022 and you are still in SHARE), the payrate in your check this week should be your new, post-raise, hourly rate. That means that you will have been paid at your new rate for the pay period December 4-17.

The retroactive amount that you will be owed is the amount of the raise (4.75%) for the hours you were paid in the 22 weeks from July 3, 2022 to December 3, 2022. That amount should be paid in the January 6 paycheck.

Example:

  • If you make $21/hour, then your raise would be $21/hour x 0.0475 = $1/hour

  • If you were paid 40 hours/week between July 3 and December 3, then you were paid 40 hours/week x 22 weeks = 880 hours

  • Your retro would be $1/hour x 880 hours = $880 before taxes

  • If you make less than $21/hour then your hourly raise would be lower; if you make more than $21/hour then your hourly raise would be higher

  • The retro is paid on all hours you were paid by UMass Chan, including vacation, holiday, sick, personal time, and overtime

Timeline of contract raise and bonus payoutS

The Covid Appreciation Bonus was paid 12/9/22

The Raise will be in the 12/23/22 paycheck

The Retro will be in the 1/6/23 paycheck

Still to be determined:

  • performance bonuses for “exceeds” or “outstanding”

  • probationary raises for people hired January-June 2022

  • review of people who were promoted out of SHARE after April 1, 2022 and missed the SHARE bonus and the non-union bonus

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.

Reclassification Requests - Deadline January 30

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 Monday, 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 Monday, 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.

2023 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 $20.46.The increase is about $0.01/hour (seventy-eight cents per bi-weekly paycheck.) For SHARE members who work 20 hours/week, the new bi-weekly rate will be $15.32. The new rates will apply to the Jan 1-Jan 14 pay period, so they should be reflected in the January 20 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 - 24 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.

Member Meeting Weds 12/21/22

Join other SHARE members for our last Member Meetings of 2022. They will take place on Wednesday, December 21. The meetings will be 12:00-12:30pm, 12:30-1:00pm, and 1:00-1:30pm.

We will talk about:

  • Delivery Timeline for all Bonuses, Raises and Retros from the contract                                          

  • Reclassification Review Requests

  • Childcare Fund & Academic Enrichment

  • SHARE Rep & Executive Board Election – get (more) involved in the union

  • Scholarship Opportunity for graduating seniors

  • Anything else you want to talk about

 

MEMBER MEETING – Wednesday December 21st – at 12:00pm, 12:30pm, or 1:00pm

Drop in any time you can join us. The agenda will start at 12:00, 12:30, and 1:00.

 

POSTPONED - SHARE Picnic

The SHARE picnic is being postponed due to rain.

The new date will probably be October 22 - we will confirm when we have all the details.

SHARE negotiates its best contracts and raises when management sees that members are engaged and informed. Plus, picnics are fun!

So, let’s get together!

Who? SHARE members in work-from-home departments (at UMass Chan and UMass Memorial)

When? Saturday, October 1, 10am-noon

Where? Elm Park, 138 Russell St, Worcester

What else? BYOB/C - bring your own blanket or chair. SHARE will provide sandwiches and light snacks — RSVP to share.umms@theshareunion.org to make sure we save a sandwich for you. Pot-luck dishes are welcome but totally optional!

We’ll also have buttons and copies of our new poster, plus updates about contract negotiations. We know that some of you have never met the others in your department in real-life, so we’ll make sure everyone finds each other.

Dress code? Kidding! Kind of. Let’s all wear red to show we support good raises and a strong contract.

Solidarity photos & Recap of 10th, 11th & 12th negotiating sessions (Aug 10, 24 & 31)

Solidarity Photos

We were thrilled to see so many of you show up in support of contract negotiations at our solidarity events, wearing red, and being so engaged in the process. It was great to feel what a strong community we're all a part of, as SHARE members. If you weren't able to attend one of our events, we would still like you and your department be represented in our SHARE photo poster. You can send us a selfie or group photo with your co-workers in support of a strong contract!

Negotiations Update

For the past month, we have increased the frequency of our negotiations sessions and started meeting weekly. There is a shared interest from both sides to move negotiations forward. At this point in the process, we have been mostly focusing on the finances and wages. The SHARE and UMass Chan teams have been going back and forth with wage proposals/ideas and bridging the gaps between the different proposals we have already made. In our most recent negotiations session, SHARE made a presentation about the cost of living, the job market, wage compression, and the problems we have been facing with recruitment and retention.

Meeting by Meeting

Aug 10 - economics - same economic proposal from management as 7/27/22 but written down. Also discussed the rest of the package, including Joint Working Groups. mandatory overtime, Work from Home, non-weather hazardous conditions and bilingual pay.

Aug 24 - continued discussion of non-wage portions of the contract proposals from both sides.

Aug 31 - SHARE presentation on the problems we think need to be fixed with our eventual wage agreement, including retention and recruitment, effect of inflation on members’ finances, the impact of pay ranges lower than those of competing employers, and wage compression resulting from ad-hoc compensation changes over the last couple of years. We talked about different approached to solving these problems, recognizing that SHARE members make less money than many UMass Chan employees and have lower raises than other union groups.

Sept 7 - meeting postponed to Sept 14. Additional meeting scheduled for Sept 21.

Recap of 8th and 9th negotiating meetings (7/27/22 and 8/3/22)

July 27 - First discussion of wages! Package proposal on multiple issues (meaning that any part of proposal is only offered if whole package is agreed to.) Wage proposal delivered verbally. Agreed to add more negotiating sessions.

Aug 3 - SHARE made a counter-proposal, also as a package, addressing all issues we have been discussing up to now.

  • Raises and bonuses for all three years of the contract

  • Staffing shortages and mandatory overtime in Animal Medicine and the Continuing Care Units

  • Work from home issues

  • Joint Working Groups that give SHARE members more input into their work lives

  • Differentials

  • The SHARE Childcare Fund

  • Grade ranges and classifications

  • Non-weather hazardous conditions

  • Incorporating new policies into the SHARE contract (Juneteenth, Work From Home, Volunteer Time)

SHARE emphasized that we are looking for good raises because:

  • SHARE members deserve recognition for how hard they have been working and how much they have been through

  • We need to offset the huge increases in the cost of living these days

  • We want UMass Chan to be able to recruit and retain staff in a very competitive labor market when people have a lot of choices of where to work

That means we need a fair agreement for the first year of the contract, and continuing progress in the second and third years of the contract.

July 21 Meeting with UMass Chan Leaders

Reposted from email to members on July 21, 2022

We wanted to let you know about a positive step forward in our negotiations with UMass Chan. This afternoon (July 21), SHARE representatives Andrea Caceres and Elisabeth Szanto met with John Lindstedt, Executive Vice Chancellor, Administration and Finance, and David LaChappelle, Director, Employee & Labor Relations, Human Resources. This meeting was to follow up on some of the remarks that Mr. Lindstedt made at the last Town Hall meeting in response to questions about the COVID Appreciation Bonus.

We had a good conversation. They told us:

  • They value SHARE members’ contributions to UMass Chan, and they value having a collaborative relationship with the SHARE union

  • UMass Chan is part of the larger UMass organization, and of the Massachusetts state system, and they have to work within that structure

  • They are advocating strongly and consistently for an equitable agreement for SHARE members, including recognizing their work throughout the COVID crisis

  • They share our interest in settling the whole contract and delivering raises as soon as possible

  • They are ready to move forward with the economic part of contract negotiations – raises, bonuses and other things that cost money

We also talked about the difficult economic times we are living in and the impact that has on SHARE members, UMass Chan’s interest in treating employees in different groups fairly, UMass and SHARE taking a flexible and creative approach to solving problems together, the problems of short-staffing, and the idea that we might meet again if we get stuck in our contract negotiations.

It was a constructive meeting and a good step forward. The negotiating teams meet again next week, and we will keep you updated. The SHARE blog has a short summary of last week’s negotiations.

As always, please let us know if you have any questions.

Contract Negotiation Info Meeting Sept 8

We would like to give you a contract negotiation update and answer any questions you might have. Looking forward to seeing many of you! 

Please join one of our half-hour virtual member meetings on Thursday, September 8th 12-12:30 PM, 12:30-1 PM or 1-1:30 PM: 

Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85193161012?pwd=SERJUGFTd01ua0MyRDJrVTNkNmxSdz09

Dail-in: 646-558-8656 

Meeting ID: 851 9316 1012 

Passcode: 485804 

 

Recap of 7th negotiating meeting 7/13/22

Topics:

  • Problem-Solving and the importance of coaching before starting corrective action, and solving issues on a timely fashion

  • Labor-Management Relationship and using Joint Working Groups to give SHARE members more of a voice at work

  • Exploring ideas about how to fill extra shifts in AMED and CCU by having incentives or clear, objective standards

What else to know:

  • We got quick updates on some topics previously discussed and what management’s next steps are to respond

  • We are contuing to negotiate our whole multi-year contract in parallel with discussions about the COVID Appreciation Bonus

COVID Appreciation Bonus Update

On Tuesday 6/21/22 UMass Chan held a town hall meeting. For those of you who were not able to attend, there were some parts related to SHARE members and the COVID Appreciation Bonus.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TOWN HALL

Chancellor Collins started by thanking everyone for their work supporting the mission of UMass Chan Medical School over the last couple of years, and referred to the bigger than usual raises and the COVID appreciation bonus for non-union staff as a demonstration of appreciation.

Naturally, SHARE members submitted questions about why we were not included in the bonus, did that mean that SHARE members were not appreciated, are we going to get bonuses, and when? At first we couldn’t see the questions, and then a bunch of them were made public when they were addressed by Chancellor Collins and John Lindstedt, Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance.

Chancellor Collins assured us that he appreciated SHARE members’ contributions and asked Mr. Lindstedt to explain more. Mr. Lindstedt said that UMass Chan really values the positive working relationship they have with their unions and explained that raises and bonuses for union members have to be negotiated and that, as a state institution, UMass Chan has to coordinate with the Governor’s direction on what he thinks unions should be getting. We all knew that raises and bonuses have to be negotiated (although that can be done separate from contract negotiations) but the part about the directive from the Governor was new information.

As Chancellor Collins continued to receive follow up questions from more SHARE members, he pointed out that we could not negotiate about this in the Town Hall but suggested that SHARE follow up with Mr. Lindstedt and assured everyone that we are going to work this out.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ABOUT THE BONUS

We are in the process of scheduling a time to meet, to understand better what challenges UMass Chan faces in getting authorization to deliver raises and bonuses to SHARE members. This meeting is a very positive step which we hope will lead to ongoing communication and a satisfactory resolution.

Recap of 6th negotiations meeting (6/29/22)

Topics:

  • SHARE presented proposal on issues relating to remote and hybrid work - communication, expenses, and flexibility

  • discussion of options for continuing and possibly expanding the Childcare Fund

  • CCU mandatory OT - we had two positive subcommittee discussions

  • Animal Med mandatory overtime - next step is a subcommittee discussion

  • further discussion about treating non-weather-related hazardous work conditions differently from inclement weather

  • waiting for input on Bilingual Pay implementation

  • response to letter from SHARE members about the COVID Appreciation bonus:

    • Management outlined other issues of importance to SHARE members that UMass Chan has addressed during the pandemic: comp time for essential employees, non-essential employees sent home with pay, retention bonuses and market adjustments for some titles

    • SHARE team agreed that UMass Chan did address those issues, in fact we negotiated about a lot of them, but that the pay adjustments and retention bonuses were addressing a shared need to attract and retain staff in a few titles that were in crisis, not a reward for SHARE members’ hard work and sacrifice, and had no impact on the majority of SHARE members, so those things don’t really answer the question about the bonus

What else to know:

  • The negotiating process is continuing to move forward constructively.

  • Our next negotiating meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 13

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