Parking Rate Increase

You've probably seen the memo that went out today about parking rates increasing as of July 2012.　 Hopefully you also saw the part in the beginning of the email that we've highlighted below!　

Note to UMass Memorial Medical Center employees: The parking rate increases discussed below only apply to the parking areas noted in the memo. Rates on other UMass Memorial properties are not impacted by this increase. For those Medical Center employees represented by a labor union, any change in parking rates will be governed by the terms of the applicable collective bargaining agreement.　Nothing will change until we negotiate about it. We can be pretty sure that management will propose these same parking rate increases to the SHARE Negotiating Team for our next contract. (The same thing goes for the recent earned time and pension changes for non-union staff at UMass Memorial -- it's very likely that UMass Memorial management will propose those changes for SHARE members too.) Stay tuned.


UPDATE: A link to the memo as a PDF.

When things are slow at work . . .

It's rare, in most departments, that business is slow for very long. Some days, though, the patients don't come. And then, it's important to know that you cannot be made to go home without pay.

If the option arises and you would like to go home, you can volunteer to do so; you can use time from your bank, or you can simply go unpaid. However, if you prefer to stay at work, your supervisor can work with you to find additional tasks, which could involve floating. If there are no tasks for you to do, then you may be sent home with pay. Here's what the SHARE contract says . . .

Time Off Without Pay (TOWOP)

No SHARE unit member shall be required to take TOWOP. When all other options have been explored, and there is no need to float, the SHARE unit member may take TOWOP or may use earned time or vacation/personal leave, whichever is applicable. If the SHARE member does not want to leave work (either unpaid, or using their own ET, or vacation/personal time whichever is applicable), the employee may choose to stay and be assigned reasonable other duties for which they are qualified (in this case, contract and practice restrictions on cross-campus and/or intra-campus floating will not apply.) If there are no such duties, and the employee is sent home, the employee will be paid.

Contract Extension Ratified

Our contract extension is now official. 1,101 SHARE members voted yes, 55 SHARE members voted no. That's a 95% yes vote, for those of you who like to keep track. Thanks to all those who turned out to vote, whichever way you voted -- it's important. And a thanks again to our negotiating team, who worked hard to get this Agreement.




The raise will probably show up in the March 22 paycheck, but we'll let you know as soon as we have that officially confirmed by HR and Payroll.

Contract Extension Vote this Tuesday, March 6


LOCATION                TIME                                      ROOM

ACC                            7a -12p                     4th Flr Conf Rm

Barre                           12p -1p                    Conf Rm 

67 Belmont                12p -12:30p

Biotech III                   11:45a - 2p               Seminar Rm 227

CBO                            8a -10a                      File Rm

Farmhouse                12:30p -1:30p           Basement Conf Rm

Hahnemann               12p - 1:30p               2nd Flr Conf Rm

Home Health             8:30a -10a & 3p - 4p   Break Rm


Lincoln St
     Emp Health          10a - 10:30a

Memorial                    6:30a - 4p                  Mem 1 Conf Rm

Morgan                       11a -11:30a

PTC                             3p - 4p

Shrewsbury
     Family Med           8a - 8:30a                   Break Rm

Shrewsbury
        Radiology           7a - 7:30a                   Break Rm

Sleep Center              2p - 2:30p                   Break Rm

Tri-River                     12p -1:30p                  Community Rm

University                   6:30a - 4p   Cafeteria (back right corner)

WBC                           12p - 2:30p              Elm Conf Rm


Voting is limited to SHARE members.
Please call the office if you would like a membership card.

Layoff Update

It's been a tough week. The layoffs are now over. Thirty-two SHARE members--including secretaries, PCA's, LPN's, and others--have been told that their hours would be reduced, or that their jobs were being eliminated.

SHARE reps are working with each of these layoffees to help them find resources, support, and new jobs. We've already received some interest in voluntary layoffs, and we're optimistic that these swaps will lead to some good outcomes. If you would like to know more about voluntary layoff, or would like to be considered for a swap, please call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020.

Also, if you are interested, you can click the following link to more information about the layoff process.

There will be another SHARE Information meeting on Monday, from 11:30-1:30 on the University Campus in room S1-123. And don't forget that the Contract Extension vote is this coming Tuesday, March 6th.

Do You Want to Volunteer for Layoff?

As you have probably heard, UMass Memorial recently gave notice to some employees--including some SHARE members--that they will be laid off, or have their hours cut.

Whenever there is a layoff, SHARE Reps work to help each member find another job, either in an open position or by "swapping" with someone who volunteers to be laid off. If we can find the right match for a swap, the person who was going to be laid off takes the volunteer's job. The volunteer gets the layoff benefits:
  • severance (one week per full year that you've worked here, minimum 2, maximum 8)
  • earned/vacation time paid out weekly (and keep health insurance until all time is used up)
  • unemployment
  • access to the SHARE training funds
If you would like to know more about what volunteering might mean for you, please call the SHARE office: 508-929-4020.

Information Meetings

Feb 22   Home Health 11:30-1 & 5-6 Break Room

 Feb 22   Tri-River 12-1:30 Community Room

Feb 27   Hahnemann 12-1:30 2nd floor Conference Room

Feb 28   Shrewsbury Radiology 11-1 Break Room

March 1   ACC 11-12:30 4th floor Conf Rm (near elevator)

March 2   Farmhouse 12:30-1:30 Basement Conference Room

March 5   University 11:30-1:30 S1-123

About the Contract Extension . . .

Hi all. A mailing has been sent out to each SHARE member at their home regarding the Contract Extension proposal. Everyone should receive that some time this week. The mailing includes a description of the raises and the pension committee. You will be able to calculate your own raises thanks to enclosed directions. The mailing also includes a quick update regarding what we know about layoffs (so far, that's nothing that isn't also in the newspaper.) There is a list of voting times and locations for the Contract vote, which will take place on Tuesday, March 6th. And there's a list of Information Meeting times and dates. Information meetings have already begun. Please help us get word out in particular to those locations whose lunchtime info meetings are happening this week:

Wed Feb 15 Sleep Center 12:30-1:30

Thurs Feb 16 Barre 12-1

Thurs Feb 16 Shrewsbury Medicine 11-1 (Break Room)

Fri Feb 17 Memorial 11:30-1:30 (Memorial 1 Conference Room)

If you have questions or comments about the Contract Extension, or would like help calculating your own raise, please come to one of the scheduled Information Meetings, or give us a call in the SHARE office (508-929-4020).

Thanks everyone! And happy Valentine's Day!

Contract Negotiations--Tentative Agreement!

We are happy to announce that we have a tentative agreement with UMass Memorial. The agreement would extend our current contract until September 30, 2012, with:

  1. A Raise for all SHARE members for this year
  2. The creation of a labor-management Pension Committee
  3. No other changes in the contract

Details coming in the mail:

We will be sending every SHARE member a letter with the details of the agreement, a list of information meetings, and locations and times to vote on the proposed contract extension. If a majority of the SHARE members voting vote “Yes”, then the agreement goes into effect.

The Raise:

The letter you get will explain the raise in detail, show the new ranges, and allow you to figure out exactly what you would get.  There are two parts to the raise:  an across-the-board base increase that moves everyone in SHARE up along with their grade, plus a step increase/bonus for everyone hired before 10/1/2011. The step increase gives SHARE members credit for another year of service, and moves them closer to their grade max. The bonus is for any part of the step increase that would be over max. The bonus would be based on the number of hours paid in 2011, including overtime.

In order to get a big enough raise, we would agree to have it go into effect January 1 instead of October 1. In effect, we would trade part of the retro we are owed for a bigger base increase.

The Pension Committee:

One of UMass Memorial’s big priorities is to reduce the cost of benefits. As part of this effort, the management negotiating team made a proposal about making changes to the pension. The SHARE negotiating team could not negotiate about anything that important without a great deal of research and discussion. And we didn't want SHARE members to have to wait that long for a raise. So we made an agreement that would set up a "Joint Pension Reform Committee" to look at the pension, its cost and future sustainability, management’s proposed changes and what effect they would have, and other options.

The committee’s job would be to make a recommendation to the SHARE and management negotiating teams in time for them to negotiate about the pension in our next contract. No changes to the pension would be made in this current extension. Any changes to the pension that might be made in the future would not affect any pension benefit you have already earned.

Questions:

We hope to answer everyone’s questions soon in the letter we send to home, in information meetings, and in one-to-one conversations. Please be patient as we get this information out. We will be in touch soon.

Thank you,

The SHARE Negotiating Team:
Sandy Alafberg
Rob Beatty
Bill Brennan
Sheldon Brown
Rita Caputo
Deb Clark
Kirk Davis
Deb Engvall
Kathy Girouard
Carol Hehir
Jana Hollingsworth
Taylor Morgan
Deb Pawlina
Sharon Pichierri
Joan Powlics
Elisabeth Szanto
Alana Wesson


Upcoming SHARE Info Meetings

Hi! Please note the upcoming SHARE information meetings:

Mon 1/30        CBO                   12-2                      4th Floor Conference Room

Tues 1/31        Farmhouse     12-1                     Basement Group Room

Thurs 2/2       Hahnemann    12-1:30             2nd floor Conference Room

Fri 2/3             Tri River         12-1                      Community Room

Tues 2/7       University       11:30-1:30            S1-123


More to come . . .

Whoa. Snow.

Holy Toledo! How much is it going to snow this year? SHARE reps have had lots of conversations recently about the hospital's severe weather policy. The full policy is posted below. The shortest summary is probably this: "All employees are expected to report to work, unless the severe weather plan in their department allows them to stay home."

Please take good care when making decisions about traveling in extreme weather. Also, please contact us if you have questions, or would like help to develop a plan in your own department.
Severe Weather
UMass Memorial is an essential community service and as such will continue its operations without regard to weather conditions. However, UMass Memorial and SHARE recognize that severe weather conditions can interfere with the ability of employees to come to work, and agree to the following:

Staffing plans

The CNO, CMO, Hospital President and Vice-Presidents are responsible for developing a fair and equitable staffing plan to ensure continued essential services, and for informing employees of staffing and attendance requirements.

In order for employees to know what their responsibilities are in the case of severe weather, departments are encouraged to develop plans for their areas within the framework of the hospital plan described above. Employees are encouraged to participate in the development of the plan for their department. Department severe weather plans could include: what staffing level is required in the case of severe weather (such as full staffing, skeletal staffing, or no staffing necessary); how employees will find out if they are required to be at work that day, who to call and how to reach them; and whether there is a difference in their department between the plan for severe weather and the plan for a declared state of emergency. Department managers should review the severe weather plan for their department with all employees annually before winter weather begins.

All employees are expected to report to work, unless the severe weather plan in their department allows them to stay home.

Staying at work

Employees who are working during severe weather conditions are expected to work through the end of their assigned work shift unless they are excused earlier. In extreme situations, employees may be required to work beyond the end of their normal scheduled work shift if the manager determines it necessary to meet patient care and operational needs. SHARE overtime rules will apply.

Department closing, early dismissal
If a department is closed for all or part of the day due to severe weather, employees may go home (see pay for missed hours) or choose to report to/remain at work. The hospital may assign people who stay at work to perform different functions than their normal job. For a work assignment in an area other than your own, page the nursing supervisor/bed management: for the University campus, pager #2044; for the Memorial campus (on evenings, nights, weekends and holidays) pager #3318.

Grace period for late arrivals
The office of the CEO or his/her designee may establish a paid grace period for arriving late to work. The length of the grace period will be based on the severity of the weather conditions.

Pay for missed hours

Other than late arrivals covered by an established grace period, employees who miss all or part of their work shift may use earned, vacation or personal time, or choose to go unpaid for the hours they missed. When appropriate, an employee may make up the time that week, by mutual consent between the employee and the supervisor. Made up hours will be paid at straight time unless weekly hours total more than 40.

Excused and unexcused absences
If an employee does not work because the department is closed, or because they are not required to come to work, it will be considered an excused absence. Late arrivals covered by an established grace period will be considered an excused absence. Other absences from work on a severe weather day will be considered unexcused.

Transportation

When severe weather makes travel unsafe, or in a state of emergency, transportation assistance may be available. Requests for assistance should be directed to the nursing supervisor/bed management: for the University campus, pager #2044; for the Memorial campus (on evenings, nights, weekends and holidays) pager #3318. When necessary, communication with external bodies such as the National Guard and ambulance carriers will be coordinated through these offices.

Contract Negotiations & Information Meetings

SHARE enters contract negotiations with hospital management this week. We'll have an ongoing series of information meetings to keep you up-to-date. This week there will be meetings at the following locations:
  • CBO 5th floor conference room: Tuesday (8/9), noon-1pm
  • Memorial conference room 1: Thursday (8/11), 11:30-1:30
You should receive a postcard in the mail this week listing more of the meetings to come. It looks like this:





We'll add more dates! Keep checking this blog!
<--






SHARE Office Power-Outage


This is just a quick note to let you know that the SHARE office has been without power for the past 36 hours or so. We've contacted the electric company to get the problem fixed. In the meanwhile, our computers, phones, and voicemail system are down. If you or your co-workers have been trying to reach us, we're sorry for the hassle. Hopefully this will be fixed this afternoon. Email is probably the best way to reach us right now, since we can check that remotely. Thank you . . . 

College Scholarship Opportunities

The SHARE office recently received announcements about two scholarship opportunities for our members. Both scholarships are open to children and grandchildren of SHARE members who will be graduating from high school this Spring, and attending college in the Fall 2011.

  • The Central Massachusetts AFL/CIO Scholarship Award -- Five $1000 scholarships, plus several $500 awards, to be drawn by lottery. (Submission deadline May 1, 2011) We posted previously about this scholarhip on our blog here.
  • The 14th Annual AFSCME Council 93 M. Michael Botelho Scholarship Award -- $1000 Scholarship. Applicant must complete a 500-750 word essay entitled "Unions have been important to my family because . . ." (Submission deadline June 1, 2011) 
For full details, please call the SHARE office (508-929-4020). Please provide your mailing address or fax number in order for us to send them to you, along with a phone number where we may contact you. 

Remembering Chris


A Celebration of Chris Flynn’s Life
 
Chris Flynn lived an amazing life, touching many of us profoundly. We are mourning our loss, and our hearts go out to her family.

We imagine Chris would tell us to dry our eyes, grab our friends by the hands, and remember her with love and humor. So that’s what we’re planning to do.

We invite you to drop by for a few minutes, share favorite stories about Chris, have a cup of coffee, and write something in her Memory Book.

Memorial Campus
Tuesday, March 29          2-4pm       Memorial 1 conference room (1st floor, near the cafeteria)

University Campus
Wednesday, March 30      2-4pm     University campus (Endosurgery Conference Room, H1-776, administrative corridor)

SHARE Fun Facts #1

2697 UMass Memorial Hospital employees are represented by SHARE.

70 feathers can be found, per square inch, on the average penguin.

5.627 meters (or 18 ft 5.54 in) is the longest recorded hair length on a human.

188 UMass Memorial Hospital job titles are represented by SHARE.

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