Click This red button to help keep front-line workers
— including SHARE members —
safe & secure
*please note: the above link seems not to work with the hospital’s default browser, Internet Explorer. SHARE members are reporting success with other browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and even smartphones.
SHARE Members Urge Funding from Congress for America’s Five Economic Essentials
Through the above link, the AFSCME website creates an email to your Congressperson, and to the two Massachusetts senators. It’s easy. You can add to the suggested email or replace it with your thoughts.
Many SHARE members are adding these two ideas:
I work in healthcare, and here’s why Congress should fund hazard pay for front-line workers.
Safety net hospitals in COVID-19 hotspot areas like ours need funding support.
SHARE Encourages you to do this right now!
Congress is currently considering another stimulus package to help Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re calling the bill “CARES 2.” AFSCME (SHARE’s parent union) and the AFL-CIO (the umbrella organization for unions across the country) are pushing Congress to support five priorities in that bill.
America’s Five Economic Essentials
All five priorities are focused on supporting working families, and the institutions they rely on. You can read more about these priorities here. We are hearing a lot of concern from SHARE members about 2 items that are included:
Hazard pay (or “appreciation pay”) as well as PPE for front-line workers are included in the AFL-CIO’s priority #1: “Keep Frontline Workers Safe.” All essential workers need safety protections on the job, including personal protective equipment, training, testing, anti-retaliation protections, paid sick leave and hazard pay.
Federal Support for Hospitals: Unions are pushing support for hospitals too – many are losing significant amounts of money as they drop everything to care for COVID patients. UMass Memorial is pushing Massachusetts Senators and Congresspeople to make sure that support for hospitals focuses on safety net hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots – like UMass Memorial hospitals.
This situation has been amplified in Massachusetts: "The funding formulas that U.S. Health & Human Services has used to distribute the money – as well as the early cutoff dates the government used to assess the number of COVID-19 cases in a state – has meant that the commonwealth’s large surge in cases was not counted fully," according to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.
Thanks for your support, SHARE members!