SHARE Contract Negotiations: Information Meeting Dates

As we get closer to July 1, SHARE members are naturally wondering what is happening with their raises. There has been a lot of activity and discussion over the last few weeks. Please join us at one of our upcoming information meetings for an update and discussion:

Thursday 6/26     12-1:30    Main Campus - AS8.2072

Monday 6/30       12-1:30    South St - Italy Conference Room

Tuesday 7/8        12-2         Main Campus - AS5.2072 

Thursday 7/10     12-2         South St - USA Conference Room

Come to whatever portion of the meeting that you can on your lunch break. The agenda will last 20-30 minutes and then start again. If you're unable to join us at one of these times, please call the SHARE office at (508) 929-4020. We'd be happy to answer any questions you have, or to set up an additional meeting time in your particular area.

SHARE Members Standing Together

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the SHARE signature poster. Titled "We Make a Difference," the poster is impressive, with 371 signatures surrounding the text, representing 80% of SHARE members at UMMS. (Our apologies to those SHARE members who wanted to sign but didn't get a chance before we went to print.)

Through individual conversations, and multiple information meetings, the negotiating team and other SHARE activists try to talk with every member. This gives the SHARE negotiators the experiences, opinions and support of hundreds of members to draw on when they talk with management negotiators. The poster is a beautiful visual representation of that collective knowledge and support.

Delivered to Management

Members of the negotiating team, with the help of other SHARE members, delivered copies of the poster to the members of the management negotiating team and other senior leaders of the Medical School on Monday, June 2. We are asking them to help us end these negotiations. The cover letter delivered with the poster reads, in part,

[Our signature poster] is in support of a fair resolution to the current SHARE-UMMS contract negotiations, but it goes beyond negotiations. It is a positive statement about who SHARE members are, and what they want their role in the UMMS community to be – learners, growers, earners and contributors. [...]   

These negotiations have gone on for a year, taking a lot of time from good people on both sides. Let's settle this in a way that meets the legitimate needs of SHARE members and the Medical School, and move on. There is so much important work we can do together.

In Your Department

If you'd like to display a copy of the SHARE signature poster for your personal work space or area bulletin board, you can either stop by the Old School Lobby, Thursday, June 5, 12-1:30, or give the SHARE office a call and we'll bring you one. (508-929-4020 -- leave a message if you get the answering machine.)

Thank you again for your collaboration and signatures, and for sharing your experiences and insights with our negotiating team.

Contract Information Meetings in May

Please join us for a brown bag lunch meeting to discuss the SHARE contract negotiations, the progress that has been made, and what we still need to do to settle the contract.

The agenda will take about 1/2 hour to get through, and then we start again at the beginning. Come on your break any time 12-2pm, and stay until we have wrapped around to the part you started at.

Tuesday 5/13            Sherman Building         AS5.2072

Thursday 5/15           South Street                  Finland Conference Room

Monday 5/19             School Building             Goff S2-307E/F

Wednesday 5/21      South Street                  Finland Conference Room

Contract Negotiations and Mediation

As mentioned in a previous post, SHARE and UMMS have hired a mediator to help us resolve the remaining issues in negotiations. The mediator has met with us five times so far, and we have four dates scheduled for May. We have made some more progress, and both sides remain committed to resolving the remaining issues as quickly as possible.

What is on the Table

The economic proposals continue to be difficult -- the three "time cuts" proposed by the management team (see comparison of SHARE and Non-Union personal days, vacation caps and OT) and, of course, raises. In addition to these economic proposals, the SHARE negotiating team is also pursuing agreements that support SHARE members in learning and growing in their careers at UMass.

Supporting Each Other

Eliminating a personal day, lowering vacation caps, and changing overtime rules would affect different SHARE members differently. An employee who depends on overtime to make ends meet might care most about the overtime. A short-term employee with only 2 weeks vacation time might feel the loss of a personal day most strongly. A long-term employee who has diligently saved their vacation time for an emergency might care most about lowering the cap on vacation time. As a union, we are committed to supporting each other on all of these issues. The negotiating teams are working to find solutions to these issues that SHARE members and UMMS management can both live with.

Raises

There are three aspects to negotiations about raises: the amount of the raise, its retroactivity, and the kind of raise (i.e. "across-the-board" raises for everyone, "merit" raises where your raise depends on your performance review, "step" raises that move people up through their grade over time, etc.)

One possibility proposed by the management team would be a raise that has a merit component. We have discussed the pros and cons of different raise systems in Information Meetings, and gotten some useful feedback to bring to negotiations. We have also been clear that the amount of the raise is very important, especially since many SHARE members do not make a lot of money. For the same reason, it is important to us that the raise be retroactive to last July. Thanks to all who contributed their thoughts, ideas and support. We are continuing to work through these issues at the bargaining table.

Chocolate Day(s) - Thursday and Friday

Join us to welcome spring with chocolate and good company! Co-sponsored by SHARE and HR at UMMS, Chocolate Day has been an (almost) annual event since 2005.

Thursday, April 3, Main Campus

11:30-2:00

Old School Lobby

Friday, April 4, South Street

11:30-2:00

Cafeteria Kiosk

Contract Negotiations Update

1. Raises

The last few negotiating sessions have been about raises -- both about how much the raises will be, and about how they are structured (the same for everyone, or performance-based, etc.) The SHARE team is currently reviewing a proposal by the management team that would link raise amounts to performance evaluations. We are collecting feedback from SHARE members at information meetings and in individual conversations. Please join us at a meeting, or call or email the SHARE office if you would like to discuss anything about contract negotiations.

2. Engagement

SHARE is interested in opportunities for employees to learn and grow in their careers at UMMS, and to have their contributions recognized. We have discussed these issues in negotiations, and are looking for ways to work together with the School to support employees' full participation in the workplace. Later this month, UMMS will administer a "Diversity Engagement Survey". We encourage everyone to fill out the survey.

3. Contract Information Meetings

Please come to one of the upcoming SHARE information meetings to get an update and give your feedback on raise ideas, ways UMMS could increase employee engagement, and other contract issues. (See previous post for times and locations.)

4. Mediation

SHARE and UMMS have requested the help of a mediator in contract negotiations. Employers and unions often use mediators to help make negotiations flow better, and go faster. The role of the mediator is not to tell either side what they have to do, but to offer ideas and facilitate the conversation between the management team and the union team.

Contract Information Meetings

Please join us at one of the upcoming information meetings about the SHARE contract. We will discuss where we are in negotiations, ask for your feedback on contract issues, and answer questions.

Tues 3/11     12-1:30     LRB, Michaelson Conference Room
Thurs 3/20    12-2          Sherman Building, AS5-2072
Tues 3/25     12-2          South Street, Australia Conference Room

SHARE members can attend information meetings on their own time. Come when you can. These are "rolling meetings" -- if we are halfway through the agenda when you get there, we will go through to the end and start again at the beginning so that you can hear all of it.

Bring your lunch, any questions you have, and a friend!