Fun Facts: Thanksgiving Edition!

Thanksgiving, it turns out, can be good for you. Studies increasingly show that gratitude improves your health.  One insightful--and funny--psychologist points out that gratefulness inspires better work.

Lately, I hear folks saying, with varying degrees of stubborn optimism, "I'm just grateful to have a job." I sure can appreciate that. I'd like to personally say that I'm thankful for SHARE members, and a certain kind of generous spirit that I'm finding more and more.  I've lately run into several beautiful examples of departments hanging together, and SHARE members looking out for one another. I'm particularly inspired when I add that to the fact that, for a living, SHARE members take care of people, patients who need care.

Having said that, I would like to put aside the studies and the healthfulness and the heartfelt appreciation, and touch on another favorite Thanksgiving theme.  If you're looking for a good last minute dessert idea, then, man, have I got a recipe for you: Baked Indian Pudding with Maple Spiced Nuts.

Thank you all. And have a very very happy Thanksgiving!

Harvard Works Because They Do

SHARE is glad to have secured four more years of strong benefits and wages with our recent contract. At the same time, our sister union at Harvard University, the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW), is currently working hard to negotiate their own contract. The biggest issues involved will sound familiar to you: health insurance, pensions, and raises.


















In recent years--when the economy impacted the university's finances, and the stock market crash hit the Harvard endowment--HUCTW members made sacrifices. More recently, however, Harvard University has seen its financial situation improve. Harvard has fortunately been able to invest many millions in new and exciting projects, including campus expansion and financial aid for students. In one example, the University earlier this year committed $30 million to EdX, a collaboration with MIT to offer courses online and free to the public. Unfortunately, while the university prospers, they continue to ask the employees to sacrifice.

Last week, HUCTW rallied over 600 members and supporters for a "Stand Out" event in Harvard Yard in support of the union contract. SHARE supports HUCTW in their efforts. For more information, please visit the HUCTW Negotiations website.

SHARE Raises in October 18 Paycheck

The plan was originally that the new contract rate would show up in paychecks this week. It turns out that that was not quite manageable, so the raise will show up in next week's paycheck instead.

Nothing has changed about when SHARE members started earning their new rates -- it is still effective this past Sunday, 9/30. The amount of the raise for the one-week delay will be in a small retro check, which people will get next week or the week after.

Thanks, everybody, for your patience!

Raises and Layoffs

Last week we were very excited to announce that SHARE members had voted to ratify the newly-negotiated contract proposal. Later that day, we opened our inboxes and our newspapers and were socked with ugly news: UMass Memorial announced layoffs are on the way. Here are the facts that we have:

1. We don't know how many SHARE members will be affected; we don't have a list; we don't know when it will be done. It is clear that management is creating a list, but we don't have any information yet about how many SHARE members will be affected, much less where or who they are. There are a lot of rumors, and many of them contradict each other. We are trying to get more information.  
2. We are told by hospital management that the 140 positions reported in the news is a financial target, meaning that there is an amount of money that the Hospital plans to save by cutting jobs; this number would equate to 93 FTE's. Our understanding is that management is still figuring out which cuts they will make to reach that target.
3. We have our Work Security process in place. Whatever is coming, we will follow our process by: 1st, looking for alternatives to layoffs; 2nd, making sure that if someone is laid off, it is the least senior person rather than the least popular person; and 3rd, working with whoever is losing a job to find another one as soon as possible. Layoffs are horrible, but together we are good at helping people through them.

Many of you have been emphasizing that you value job security more than any particular benefit. (That makes sense: if you don't have a job, raises and health insurance don't do any good.) Even many who have a relatively strong sense of job security have said you would be willing to take cuts for the sake of job security for your friends and co-workers.

In contract negotiations, the SHARE team discussed with management the idea of protecting SHARE jobs. When SHARE has offered help save money in the past, these efforts have not prevented SHARE layoffs. Hospital management did agree to our new proposals for stronger language regarding work security when it comes to contracting out and selling portions of the hospital to outside agencies. Management says cuts will be based on volume, and that they cannot make any contractual promises about staffing levels. 

Like many others at UMass Memorial, our union has made real sacrifices. As a result of our negotiations, our future members will receive three fewer earned time-days than our current members. We revised our pension plan to create savings. We are doing our part. We know that financial stability is good for the hospital, for patients, and for SHARE employees.

We all have a lot of questions about the future at UMass Memorial, and about our jobs. As always, we will take care of one another and use our Work Security program to protect our members' livelihoods.

Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship

Hi all,

We just received an announcement from our parent organization, AFSCME, announcing the Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship for sophomores majoring in social sciences who are children of AFSCME members:

The Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship Program is an ongoing program available to children of AFSCME members. Under the program, one scholarship in the amount of $5,000 will be awarded annually to two students majoring in the social sciences for his/her junior and senior years of study. The chosen students will also be given the opportunity to intern at the International Union headquarters in the Political Action department during the summer between his/her junior and senior year or for one semester during his/her junior or senior year. Once awarded, the scholarship will be renewed for the senior year of study, provided the students remain enrolled in a full-time course of study as a social science major.
Any student in his/her sophomore year of study who is enrolled in a full-time four-year degree program in any accredited college or university, and whose parent, legal guardian, or financially responsible grandparent is an AFSCME member and who meets the following requirements is eligible to apply for the scholarship:
A.The student must have a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or above.

B.The student must be a social science (i.e., political science, sociology, ethnic studies, communications, etc.) major at an accredited college or university.

For full details, and to download an application, visit the Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship homepage.

SHARE Members Approve Contract

The contract was ratified with a 97% Yes vote (1,275 SHARE members voted Yes, and 33 SHARE members voted No.) Thank you to everyone who voted, either Yes or No. It is a sign of a healthy union that so many people came to voice their opinion. The contract goes into effect next week.

RATIFICATION VOTE SCHEDULE September 24 & 25

Monday, September 24
  
ACC                               1:00pm - 6:00pm                 4^th floor, ACC4-001
Barre                              11:30am - 1:30pm               Break Room
Biotech III                      11:45am - 2:00pm                Conference Room (202)

CBO                               8:00am - 11:00am               1st Floor File Room
Farmhouse                    12:30pm - 1:30pm                Basement Conference Room

Hahnemann                   12:00pm - 1:30pm                2^nd Floor Conference Room
Home Health                  9:30am - 10:00am                Break Room
Lincoln St Emp Health   10:00am - 10:30am              Break Room

Milford                           11:00am

Morgan                          12:00pm - 1:30pm                3rd Floor Conf Room
PTC                                3:00pm - 4:00pm
Shrews Family Med       8:45am - 9:00am                  Break Room
Shrews Radiology          8:00am - 8:30am                  Break Room
Sleep Center                  2:30pm – 3:00pm                 Break Room
So County Pediatrics     2:00pm - 2:30pm                  lobby
Tri-River                        12:00pm - 1:00pm                Community Room
WBC                              12:00pm - 2:30pm                Spruce Conference Room
W. Boylston Fam Med   2:00pm - 3:00pm                  Conference Room
328 Shrewsbury            3:00pm - 3:30pm
67 Belmont                    11:30am - 11:45am              Conference Room

 

Tuesday, September 25

 

University                    6:00am - 4:00pm                   Cafeteria (back right corner)
Memorial                     6:00am – 8:00am                   Memorial 1 Conf Room Memorial                     8:15am – 10:30am                 Memorial Cafeteria

Memorial                    11:00am – 4:00pm                  Memorial Cafeteria

                             

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

 

You can vote at any location. However, absentee ballots are not allowed.