Dues Increase for 2014

SHARE dues will increase in January:

• The regular dues rate for 2014 is $8.24/week. (The 2013 rate was $8.12.)
• For employees budgeted for 20 hours/week, the 2014 rate is $6.18/week (the 2013 rate was $6.10)

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about dues:

Why are the dues going up now?

The dues increase is set by our national union, AFSCME. If there's a rate change it's in January.

How much do the dues increase each year?

The dues increase is calculated by AFSCME (our parent union) based on the average raise that all 1.5 million members across the country got in the previous year. Many AFSCME members have had small, or no, raises over the past few years, and some have had pay cuts or unpaid furloughs. This has resulted in small, or nonexistent dues increases over the past few years, even though SHARE members at UMass Memorial were getting raises.

dues rates stayed the same from 2010 to 2012

Where do the dues go?

Most of the dues go to pay for the SHARE staff, the office rent, office supplies, mailings, etc. The money supports the work of the union here at the UMass Memorial (and in our sister unions at UMass Medical School, Harvard University, and the Cambridge Health Alliance) helping members with issues at work, building connections across the campuses, supporting people who have been laid off, distributing information about issues of importance to SHARE members, negotiating contracts, etc. 

A portion of the dues goes to the national union in Washington -- they spend that money on advocating for AFSCME members as a whole, including research and lobbying about issues. (Support for political candidates comes from AFSCME's Political Action Committee, not from dues money.) 

SHARE Prepares for Possible Layoffs

As communications from UMass Memorial CEO Dr. Eric Dickson and President Patrick Muldoon make clear, there are changes coming for our hospitals, probably including layoffs. Programs that aren't making money may shrink or close, and technology is eliminating the need for some jobs. SHARE is preparing to help members with whatever is coming.

Do You Want to Volunteer to be Laid-Off?

Whenever there is a layoff, SHARE Reps work to help our members find other jobs, 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, then person who was going to be laid off takes the volunteer's job. The volunteer gets the SHARE layoff benefits:

• Severance (one week of pay for each full year that you've worked here, minimum 2 weeks, maximum 8 weeks)
• Earned time/vacation time paid out weekly so that you stay on UMass Memorial health insurance until your time is used up
• Unemployment benefits
• Access to the SHARE training fund (up to $1500 per semester for 2 semesters with a possibility of an additional semester)

If you would like to know more about what volunteering for layoff might mean for your, please call the SHARE office. Leave a message for Carol -- 508-929-4020 x17.

How Layoffs Work in SHARE

Our contract says, "SHARE and UMass Memorial agree that we will do everything possible to avoid lay-offs. In health care today, change is the prominent feature of the landscape. By making this agreement about work security, our goal is to find alternatives to lay-offs whenever possible, and when a lay-off must occur to provide help and support to the employee in finding a comparable position."

UMass Memorial notifies SHARE about the possible layoffs ahead of time and SHARE and UMass Memorial meet to try to find an alternative to the layoffs. If there is no alternative, the SHARE member gets 30-60 days notice ahead of the layoff date and becomes a "work security candidate." 

Layoffs are done by seniority. UMass Memorial identifies the department or cost center and title where they need to cut a position, and the least senior person gets the layoff (unless there's a volunteer in the department).

During the notice period, SHARE works with the work security candidate to help them find a job (if they want one). Work security candidates have hiring preference over other internal applicants for internal jobs, and access to the layoff swaps. SHARE reps help provide information about unemployment, and outside job opportunities and resources.

To see the full SHARE and UMass Memorial contract section on Layoffs and Work Security, click here. If you have questions, call the SHARE office at 508-929-4020. If you get the answering machine, press 10 to leave a message on the general voicemail.

Raising the Minimum Wage: For our Families and our Community

Around the country, people are working to raise the minimum wage. California and New Jersey just voted to raise their minimum wages, and there's an effort to raise the federal minimum wage. SHARE is working with other unions, churches and faith organizations, and community groups to raise the minimum wage in Massachusetts. If we get enough signatures on petitions, the question will be on the ballot in November 2014 for voters to decide. The question would raise the minimum wage to $10.50 over a few years, and minimum wage would go up with inflation after that.

Everyone in SHARE makes more than $8.00 per hour, the Massachusetts minimum wage.  Raising the minimum wage would not directly affect SHARE members. However, it's still good for us and for our communities:

• Many of us have children, friends and neighbors making minimum wage -- we're doing this for them.
• Many economists say raising the minimum wage helps the economy because regular people have more money to spend.
• A rising tide lifts all boats: When the minimum wage increases, people making more than minimum tend to get raises too. That would be a big change from the "race to the bottom" we've seen recently, with employers around the state and the country focusing on cutting wages, pensions, and healthcare, which makes our contract negotiations more difficult.
• It's just keeping up with inflation: The minimum wage of $1.60 an hour in 1968 would be $10.50 today if it had kept up with inflation. The Massachusetts minimum wage has been stuck at $8 since 2008 -- that's five years without a raise for those folks, while costs for the basics keep going up, as we all know.

We Need Your Signature!

You can add your name to the petition to get the minimum wage question on the ballot by stopping by:

• Tuesday, November 12th, 12-1:30, University Cafeteria -- We'll be at a table to the left. Look for the Raise Up Massachusetts sign.
• Thursday, November 14th, 12-1pm, Memorial 1 conference room, toward the ED from the cafeteria 
• Or email us, and we'll bring a petition to you to sign this week: share.comment@theshareunion.org

For more information about the effort, see Raise Up Massachusetts.

Details about the Bonus for SHARE Members at Max

Human Resources says that the bonus for SHARE members at or above their grade maximum will be delivered the same day as the raise to SHARE members' hourly rate. The bonus will be in a separate check, and direct deposited.

Payroll says that the bonus is taxed at the federal "supplemental" flat rate of 25%. That may be higher than your usual federal tax rate. When you add state and other taxes, the total tax rate on the bonus may be around 40%. If that's more than you should owe, it will get adjusted when you file your taxes for the year.

Because of the Columbus Day holiday that week, the raises and bonuses will come on Friday the 18th instead of Thursday the 17th.

For more information about the raise or bonus amount, look here.

October Raise for SHARE Members

SHARE members will receive their second raise of our current 4-year contract with UMass Memorial on Sunday, October 6th. The raise averages 3%. You will first see your new rate in the October 17th paycheck.

The raise is $.23 + 2% per hour. The $.23 is an average of 1% for SHARE members and is added to every SHARE member's base pay. The 2% is added to your base rate if you are below your grade maximum. If you are at or above your grade maximum, you get the 2% as a one-time bonus. The grade minimums and maximums will go up by $.23, to keep up with inflation. The additional 2% moves you up within your grade toward your grade maximum, unless you are already at max.

You can calculate your raise (or raise and bonus) following the steps listed here.  (Or, for "increment based" SHARE job titles, you can find your new rate in the pay grids here. The grade minimums and maximums for peer-slotted jobs, such as Radiology Tech and LPN, are posted here.) To read the contract language that describes the raises, look here.

There are two more raises in this contract, October 5, 2014, and October 4, 2015. They are both the same amount as this raise.

Any questions? Call SHARE at 508-929-4020 and leave a message on the general voicemail. One of the SHARE staff will call you back to answer your questions.

SHARE 401(k) Info Meetings -- Off to a Good Start

The SHARE 401(k) Info Meetings are off to a good start. SHARE members are taking advantage of this opportunity to meet with SHARE Organizers, HR Benefits representatives, and Fidelity representatives for help with saving for retirement. So far people who come to the meetings fall into these categories:

• Sign me up: Some folks come ready to sign up to start saving for retirement in the UMass Memorial 401(k) plan. They sit with a Fidelity rep and sign up on the spot with Fidelity's iPads.
• Tell me about it: Some come to learn about the 401(k) -- how it works, how the match from management works, and how taking out an amount like 1% or 4% would affect their take-home pay. These folks sit together for a short information session with SHARE, Fidelity or someone from HR Benefits.
• I've got a question: Some people come just to get an answer to a specific question.
• I want to increase my deduction: With a SHARE raise coming on October 1st, some folks have decided that this is the perfect time to increase the amount they are having deducted from their check. If you start deductions or increase your deductions at the same time as the raise, you won't notice the difference as much.

It's a relaxed meeting. Feel free to bring your lunch. For the schedule of meetings, see below.

Saving for Retirement: The UMass Memorial 401(k)

SHARE Lunch-time Information Meetings

  

SHARE is partnering with HR Benefits and Fidelity for these 401K Information Meetings because we believe planning for retirement is important for SHARE members.

Location                                                Date         Time

Barre              Conference Room          Sept 5        11:30-1:00

University      S2-351                            Sept 6        11:30-1:30

Tri River        Community Room         Sept 10      11:30-1:00

Hahnemann   Anne Nemitz Room      Sept 11       11:30-1:30

Biotech 3        Seminar Room 227       Sept 13       12-1:00

PTC                 1st floor classroom       Sept 16       2:30-3:30

CBO                 4^th floor Conf Room     Sept 17       12-1:30

WBC                Ford Room                     Sept 18      11:30-1:30

CBO                 4^th floor Conf Room      Sept 19      11:30-1:00

University      S2-351                              Sept 20      11:30-1:30

Memorial       Memorial 1 (near caf.)   Sept 23      11:30-1:30

Memorial       Memorial 1 (near caf.)   Sept 26      11:30-1:30

Stop in during your lunch. It will be a “rolling” meeting so you won’t miss anything if you’re only there for part of it. Bring your lunch and a friend! Questions? Leave a message at SHARE, 508-929-4020 extension 0, and someone will call you back.

• All Welcome •

(Feel free to invite co-workers who aren't in SHARE.) 

______________________________________________ 

How do I enroll in the 401(k)?

It’s easy! You can enroll at the meeting if you want to.

I’m young, I don’t need that yet!

The earlier you start saving, the less you need to save every week.

I’m retiring in a few years, is it too late for me to start?

Better late than never – you can still save, and take advantage of the UMass Memorial match.

Can I change my mind? Can I increase the amount of money I contribute? Can I stop my deductions if I need to? What if I leave UMass Memorial?

All of these questions will be answered at the Information Meetings.