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 Hospital member, you'll need to include the following information:

• UNION AFFILIATION: SHARE/AFSCME
• LOCAL UNION NO: 3900

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.

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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

PCA STAFFING: New Guidelines, New SHARE Committee

Acute Care PCA’s made clear that expectations of them have been too heavy to provide the best patient care, and we’ve heard that. In our most recent Contract Negotiations with management, we developed new guidelines which are intended to help.

Changes will begin to roll out over the course of the coming year.  A PCA Staffing Committee--made up of SHARE PCA’s, Nursing Leadership, and SHARE Leadership--has begun meeting to oversee the process. They will also develop better standards for PCA orientation, patient-centered care, etc.  

In the new model of care, the responsibility for and management of each patient’s needs will ultimately rest on a nurse.  PCA’s will continue provide hands-on care for patients, working collaboratively under the direction of the RN. The new contract explains that the PCA will typically assist the RN with workloads based on one of the following two guidelines:

1. Specific tasks that are assigned for multiple patients such as vital signs, blood sugars, weights, meal preparation, or ambulation

Or

1. Single patients with multiple care needs such as personal care and activities of daily living. In this guideline, the PCA will assist the RN(s) with up to 6 - 8 patients for the day and evening shifts and up to 8 - 10 patients on nights.

This is a major shift, and we’ll be working to roll it out steadily, a couple of floors at a time. The full text of the new guidelines will be published in the new SHARE contract. (And you can read them online now, on page 18 of the SHARE/UMass Memorial Contract Agreement.)

We heard that you want to give good quality care, and you don’t always feel that you are able to do as well as you want to. We want this new process to provide thoughtful revision of the caregiving practice, with lots of opportunity for PCA’s to provide input and participate in the design. The PCA Staffing Committee will guide the process and adjust as other opportunities for improvement are found. We’re looking forward to involving everyone to develop better teamwork, and a spirit of working together.

Notes from the First UMMHC/UMMS Listening Session on Immigration

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

In the 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

In the 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 employees at UMass Memorial Hospital were $8.57 per week, paid 52 times in a year.(SHARE members who work 20 hours per week were charged $6.42 per week.)