As SHARE Members made clear in the 2022 Contract Surveys, raises are SHARE’s top priority for negotiations. Last week the SHARE Negotiating Team put our first raise proposal on the table to the hospital. Our proposal aims to:
Take inflation and the rise in cost-of-living expenses into account
Make sure SHARE members make progress every year as their experience grows
Catch up to what other employers are paying so that UMass Memorial can hire and fill positions, so SHARE members aren’t so short-staffed.
Deal with the fact that the rising minimum wage in Massachusetts, added to the national staffing shortage, makes it especially hard to retain staff.
Recognize SHARE members’ hard work during COVID and now – SHARE members are Always Essential!
To see slides from the presentation about the economics that SHARE members are living with, click here.
As expected, UMass Memorial has made a counter-proposal. The good news is that UMass Memorial is also focused on retention and recruitment. Discussions are respectful and constructive – recognizing that SHARE and the hospital have common interests in retention and recruitment. That said, the SHARE Negotiating Team is not satisfied yet with the numbers on the table – so we’ll keep talking.
SHARE and UMass Memorial will continue to negotiate about raises. Maybe an agreement is just around the corner, but maybe not. SHARE intends to be ready to make the point that this agreement matters to all 2948 SHARE members. That’s where you can help – we need all SHARE members to show that they are paying attention and ready to help get a strong contract. If you haven’t already, it’s particularly vital that you sign on now to the SHARE poster. (Lots and lots of SHARE members have already signed – thank you!)
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Additionally this week, UMass Memorial Leave Program Coordinator Sandy Clougherty joined the “Absenteeism” negotiations side table to describe the many leave-of-absence options available to SHARE members, and how the various leaves interrelate and overlap. The hospital wants to look at the number of policies, try to simplify them, so that SHARE members can have the same level of job protections with a more tailored set of leave options.
The “Careers” negotiations side table is discussing lots of ideas for helping SHARE members to learn new skills and different jobs, if they want. SHARE and UMass Memorial agree that creating a pipeline for caregivers to come into UMass Memorial in an entry-level job, and move up to build their career, is good for both SHARE members and the hospital.