SHARE leaders have a special role in our community. Together, we work to create one of the most important relationship networks in our hospital.
The main role of a SHARE Rep is to aid communication between members and the SHARE leadership. We continually share information to better understand what is happening across our workplaces, and to make our work better.
As a result, SHARE Reps do all kinds of things, depending on the needs and interests of our union and our members. Ultimately, if you become a SHARE Rep, you decide what to take on . . . each Rep has a different level of involvement. In the beginning, you should simply be prepared to meet new people, and to learn a lot of new things from others throughout the UMass Memorial community.
A SHARE Rep always has support. The SHARE organizing staff and experienced Reps are here to help. We provide training and individual coaching to help you develop new skills. Here’s a list of the kinds of projects that some SHARE Reps commonly do:
Meet and develop relationships with every person in their work area
Come to the monthly SHARE Rep Meetings
Provide information to co-workers, and to the EBoard and Organizers
Help other SHARE members to find help when they need it
Improve work processes and solve departmental problems
Lead and participate in Unit Based Teams
Bake for events
Participate in a web of support for other members in the unfortunate event of a layoff
Serve as a “witness” at a disciplinary meeting for a member
Distribute and collect surveys
Sign up new members on membership cards
Negotiate
There’s a whole lot more. The activities that SHARE Reps do are extremely important, and often a lot of fun. When new challenges arise, we figure things out together. And we know that important things get built just like anything else: one little brick at a time.
If you have questions about what SHARE reps do, please contact the SHARE Office (508-929-4020), or talk to a current SHARE rep.