As you know from messages from the hospital, as well as the recent email from SHARE (which can be found online here), the limits for PTO accruals will fall back to the negotiated caps at the end of this month. Although this doesn’t affect the vast majority of SHARE members — only those who have earned time above those limits — 70 or so SHARE members can benefit from taking action now.
ROLLING OVER TIME TO A SICK BANK
One thing to know is that, if you are above the limit, and you are on Earned Time (i.e., one bank, as opposed to some long longer-term members who stayed with Traditional Time, meaning they still accrue to both sick and vacation banks), then any earned time over the cap that you don’t use or cash out will automatically roll over into a reserve sick bank.
The good news about that is that the accrued time still belongs to you, and can come in handy in a pinch. However, that time then becomes more difficult to access, since the sick bank is only for extended medical leaves, after you’ve already used a full week of Earned Time.
IF YOU’RE NOT ON THE BOOKS AS A 40-HOUR EMPLOYEE
The email we sent last week included a chart for 40-hour employees to know the exact amount of your cap. However, if you are on the books as a 24- or 32-hour employee, your cap will be lower. See chart below for your approximate cap. Please call the SHARE office at EXTENSION 10, or email us if you would like help with this, or have questions.
SHARE IS PUSHING THE HOSPITAL TO EXTEND
The hospital raised the caps temporarily because they recognized that, throughout the pandemic, many employees were not able to take time off. Because caregivers were still in such demand, and still experiencing difficulty getting time away, UMass Memorial leadership extended the end-date for the higher maximums by an additional year. SHARE recognizes that many members continue to be unable to use their time, especially during the holidays and recent surges in patient volume. SHARE is advocating that the deadline be extended further. The hospital has not, however, indicated that it will do so.