Friendly Flu Shot Reminder

By now you've probably all seen the email from Jeffrey Stevens, the hospital's Vice President for Human Resources, regarding flu shots. This is just a reminder, since the deadline for getting a shot (or signing a declination form) is approaching fast: February 28th. If you missed that message, here are the important logistical details, copied from his email . . .

*****

First and foremost, if you have not yet had a flu vaccination, plan to do it today. Cases of the flu are being diagnosed in our region daily. Flu vaccinations are available at Medical Center Employee Health Services offices. No appointment is required.

• 210 Lincoln Street, weekdays, 7 am to 5 pm (free parking right in front of building, stop in coming or going from work)
• Memorial Campus, MB-2024, weekdays, 7 am to 4 pm
• University Campus, HB-376, weekdays, 7 am to 4 pm

If you chose not to have a vaccination, then you must complete a “declination” form. Link to it here or find it on the OurNet flu pages. Complete the information at the top and sign the third box on the page. Drop the form off at one of the Employee Health Services offices or fax to 508-793-6410.

If you had a flu shot other than at one of our Employee Flu Shot Clinics or at Employee Health Services, you also need to complete this same form, filling in and signing the fourth box on the page.

Because of the importance of having the flu vaccination, this year we are making vaccination or completion of the “declination” mandatory for all Medical Center employees, much as we do for tuberculosis testing. This means that, as a condition of employment, you must either be vaccinated or complete the “declination” by the February 28.

If you have questions, please speak with your manager.

*****

. . . and, if you need to talk with a SHARE representative about this, please contact us.

Holiday Notes

Season's greetings!

Please note that the SHARE office will be closed December 27th-31st. During that time, a skeleton crew will tend our general voicemail, and provide coverage for emergencies.

It's been a busy year for SHARE, and we're very glad to have weathered it so well. Of course, there's still plenty of work to be done. Though most of the fifty-five SHARE members who were laid-off over the past year are re-situated, we are committed to continue helping the twelve who still seek jobs. We'll also continue our fight for fair pricing on the health-care coverage in the new year, too, and will keep you posted.

Finally, we'd like to highlight a good thing in our community: the UMass Memorial Bell Hill-East Side Homeownership Initiative. This project provides training and financial assistance for qualifying UMass Memorial employees who wish to become first-time home-buyers. According the the Mass Housing Partnership, the initiative is a "$1 million down-payment and neighborhood revitalization fund for the neighborhoods around the three UMass Memorial campuses." For more information, see this story, or call the program administrator at 508-341-9859.

We wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday time. See you next year!

pre-Thanksgiving update

We want to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and to give you an update on a few union issues.

Layoffs

Of the 55 SHARE members who were affected by the layoffs this fall, twelve people are still looking for a new job in the system. Congratulations to those who found a new position, and good luck in your new job! SHARE Reps continue to support the twelve who are still looking. Many thanks to all the SHARE Reps who helped members through the layoff. Our best wishes to those who have decided to take the layoff and retire, go back to school, or move on to something else, including some wonderful people who volunteered to be laid off so that others could stay!

Health Insurance Rates

We are continuing to work on this issue, and will keep you updated as we go along.

No Dues Increase

There will be no increase in SHARE dues in 2011. The rate is set by our national union, AFSCME, and is based on the average wage increase of the million-plus AFSCME members over the past year. The average increase across the country was so close to zero that there will be no increase in dues this year.
 
Best wishes to you and your family!

SHARE needs your help!

Whatever you select for your benefit plan during this open enrollment season, we are asking you to please let us know what plan you choose and why. We are collecting this information as part of our continuing campaign to get the rates corrected. You can email us at . . .
                                                                        comment@theshareunion.org.

Update to SHARE Members about Health Insurance Choices

 We have been distributing the below information via email and outside UMass Memorial's benefit fairs, and include it here in case you haven't yet received it . . . 

We believe that the hospital is charging employees too much for the 2011 premiums for Blue Cross and for Tufts. Over the last two weeks, we have been talking with hospital management, trying to get the rates down to the right amounts before everyone had to choose which plan to be on next year. Unfortunately, they have not agreed to change the rates.

Next steps – individual choices, collective action

We will not stop trying to fix this problem. However, it now looks very unlikely to be fixed before you have to choose your insurance plan. We will write soon with more information about what the problems are, what has happened so far in our conversations with management, and what we are going to do next. For now, however, you will have to pick your plan knowing what the rates are now, and knowing that the union is trying to change them, but not knowing what the final answer will be.

Which plan should I choose?

Four out of five SHARE members who take the health insurance currently have Network Blue HMO. The hospital is encouraging people to switch to their new “Employee Advantage” plan (basically the Fallon plan, with some benefits if you use UMass Memorial doctors). They are offering a much lower weekly premium rate.

Ø      Some SHARE members have told us that they will switch because of the cost.

Ø      Some will not or cannot switch, despite the cost.

Ø      Some will wait a year and see how this new plan will work out.

SHARE can neither recommend the Employees Advantage plan, nor recommend against it. It was not negotiated with the union, and we haven’t been able to explore all the details.

How is the hospital shifting costs to employees?

Management is using the low cost of the Employee Advantage plan to increase the cost of the other plans for employees. They have to pay 85% of one plan. They have created a new plan, set an artificially low cost, and they are paying 85% of that lower cost. That leaves people who don’t switch to the new plan paying 40% more for Network Blue in 2011 than they did in 2010. The hospital claims that they are not violating our contract. We disagree. And we are going to continue to fight their decision.

So choose the best health plan for you and you family, let us know how you made your decision, and stay tuned. We will send out more information soon.

SHARE Information Meeting Locations & Times

SHARE Information Meetings:

To discuss the proposed management changes to SHARE members' health insurance and other issues, please join us at a SHARE Information Meeting:

• University Campus: Goff S1-608--Fri, Nov 5, 12-1:30                                    
• Hahnemann: 2nd Floor Conf. Room--Tues, November 9, 11:30-1 
• Memorial: Memorial 1 Conf. Room--Wed, November 10, 11:30-1 
• 306 Belmont Street: Belmont Room--Fri, November 12, 12-1:30

We are setting up meetings for Tri River, Home Health, Biotech 3, Farmhouse and PTC. If you would like a meeting at a location or time not listed, give us a call and we will work with you to set up another meeting. The phone number for the SHARE office is 508-929-4020.

SHARE: as seen on the TEA website!

We recently got a warm hello--and an exciting new update--from our friends at the Tufts Employee Association. Former SHARE organizers Will Erickson and Janet Wilder are currently helping support staff at Tufts University to create their own union.  When they heard about our website, they asked me to say hi, and that they miss their old friends at UMass Memorial!

Will and Janet and their friends are also excited to brag about their own new website, which includes a spotlight on SHARE members. The TEA site has a full page of SHARE members describing their experience at UMass Memorial. Check it out: http://teawork.org/photos_sharehospital.html

The Tufts Employee Association would be open to clerical and technical workers on all three of Tufts major campuses--including the nearby Grafton veterinary school, as well as those in Boston and Medford. If you would like to share your own SHARE experience, let us know. And if you know someone who works at Tufts, we would be happy to know that, too. The organizing staff would love to meet them!