Back Up Childcare for UMass Memorial Employees

The SHARE office recently received the following information from Bright Horizons for parents and caregivers at UMass Memorial Hospital . . .

bright horizons back up care

Holidays, breaks, professional development days — no matter the no-school reason, Bright Horizons can help you figure it all out. Your Bright Horizons Back-Up Care™ benefit makes life easier with reliable, high-quality child care options.

Click to Register & Reserve Care

Benefits of Back-Up Care  

Why take advantage of back-up care?
It makes life easier, with:  

  • Convenient child care options in nearby centers or at home

  • High-quality care that fills in whenever your regular care falls through

  • An affordable solution you can rely on

  • Easy booking with speedy reservations under 90 seconds for last-minute care gaps or in advance  

Click to receive Bright Horizons Text Alerts 

SHARE Updates: Contract Events, Childcare, Educational Opportunities, and More . . .

CONTRACT DISTRIBUTION EVENTS

Want to curl up with a paper version of the contract in front of the fire?

Get your copy of the red book — and talk with SHARE Organizers about any questions you’ve got — at an upcoming Contract Distribution Event.

  • UNIVERSITY — Tuesday, Sept 12 — Prescription Center hallway (aka “four corners”) — 11:30-1:30

  • MEMORIAL — Tuesday, Sept 19 — across from Cafeteria — 11:30-1:30

If you’d like a SHARE Rep to bring copies of the contract to your department or worksite, please contact SHARE.

Backup Childcare through Bright Horizons

In conjunction with UMass Memorial Hospital, Bright Horizons provides a backup childcare option to employees for holidays, breaks, professional development days, and more. Find more information and apply here.

FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

In last week’s email update, we pointed out that Quinsigamond Community College is working together with the MassReconnect program to offer the opportunity to earn free Associate Degrees and certificates for adults twenty-five years and older. But! The MassReconnect program isn’t limited to QCC: the MassReconnect program means that ALL 15 community colleges in Massachusetts are FREE to students who qualify for this program! Learn more here.

Federal Student Loan Repayments Resume in October

After a pause during the pandemic, federal student loans have again begun accruing interest, and payments will need to be made again beginning in October, to the frustration of many.

Find information and resources for union members belonging to AFSCME (SHARE’s parent union) in this message on the SHARE Blog.

The entire SHARE Contract Bargaining Agreement with UMass Memorial is online

Use the above link to zoom in, read, and print the information you need.

Make it easy, using your browser’s search tools and the SHARE site FAQ’s.



Federal Student Loan Repayments Resume in October

The following message comes from SHARE’s parent union, AFSCME, and includes helpful information and resources for union members with outstanding student loans from the federal government.

For scholarship and financial aid resources available to SHARE members, see blog posts labeled #Scholarships and #Education

Dear AFSCME Family,

As many of you know, most federal student loan borrowers have had their payments paused since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 emergency. This student loan relief has come to an end and will not be extended. The accrual of interest on federal student loans resumed on September 1, 2023, and loan payments will become due in October 2023.

We know that many of you, as well as members of your family, are student loan borrowers. We also know that the transition back to paying student loans may be challenging or confusing for some.

If you are a student loan borrower, here are 6 ways you can prepare:

1. Update your contact information with your loan servicer and at StudentAid.gov.

2. Review information about your next payment. This information can be found on your billing statement or by contacting your loan servicer.

3. Use the Federal Student Aid Loan Simulator to make sure you are on the best repayment plan, especially if your financial situation has changed.

4. Consider applying for, or switching to a new, income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. An IDR plan can make your monthly payment more affordable. Borrowers who consistently make monthly payments may see their debt forgiven after a certain number of years. The Biden administration recently announced as new IDR plan – Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) – that will help more than 20 million American borrowers.

5. If you cannot afford a repayment plan right now, contact your loan servicer to discuss short term relief options, such as deferment or forbearance. Make certain you understand how these options may affect your loan, loan payments and eligibility for loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness and IDR plans.

6. Understand what may happen if you don’t repay your loan. While delinquent payments can have a negative impact on your finances, the Biden administration has instituted a 12-month “on-ramp” period – October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 – to reduce the impact on borrowers who are not able to resume their loan payments immediately. During this period, borrowers will not be considered delinquent, be reported to the credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies. However, borrowers should be aware that delinquent loan payments will continue to accrue interest and may impact when you qualify for loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program or an IDR plan.

Our union wants to make sure you have the resources you need to successfully restart your loan payments. Visit AFSCME’s Student Debt Resources for additional and updated information, including information about the new SAVE plan and the 12-month repayment “on-ramp” period.

SHARE Contract Distribution Events & Online Link

The entire SHARE Contract Bargaining Agreement with UMass Memorial is online.

Use the above link to zoom in, read, and print the information you need.

Make it easy, using your browser’s search tools and the SHARE site FAQ’s.

Contract Distribution Events

Want to curl up with a paper version of the contract in front of the fire?

Get your copy of the red book — and talk with SHARE Organizers about any questions you’ve got — at an upcoming Contract Distribution Event.

  • UNIVERSITY — Tuesday, Sept 12 — Prescription Center hallway (aka “four corners”) — 11:30-1:30

  • MEMORIAL — Tuesday, Sept 19 — across from Cafeteria — 11:30-1:30

If you’d like a SHARE Rep to bring copies of the contract to your department or worksite, please contact SHARE.

SHARE Labor Day Updates

Happy Labor Day! We hope you’re enjoying the sunshine today, and grateful to those SHARE members who are working on the holiday to take care of patients and our hospital.

Have We Lost the Spirit of Labor Day?

That’s the question asked in this short piece about the history and meaning of Labor Day, who points out that workers’ concerns and needs continue to evolve.

You still sometimes hear claims that unions have outlived their relevance. But SHARE members know that — even with good bosses, in good workplaces — concerns with working conditions continue. Only an independent source of power like a union can provide safe and effective ways for workers’ voices to consistently make a difference at work.

MassReconnect: Free Community College

Quinsigamond Community College is offering the opportunity to earn free Associate Degrees and certificates for adults twenty-five years and older. For more details, and to apply to learn more, visit QCC’s MassReconnect website.

Finding What You Need

The fully-searchable SHARE contract is now online, and distribution events for paper copies will be announced very soon. But do you know how to find what you want to know on the SHARE website?

The site is full of other useful information. We recently added a guide to applying for Leaves of Absence to the “Getting Help” page, for example. You can find that, and a whole lot more, by using the site’s search tools. Still have questions? Contact us!

SHARE Contract Is Now Online

Good news! The most recent SHARE-UMass Memorial Contract Agreement is now available!

Coming soon: Get Your Copy of the Red Book

Fresh copies of the latest contract agreement have just arrived from the printer. We’ll soon announce details about contract distribution events if you’d like a hard copy.

What Do Members Most Want to Know?

Want to learn about the most commonly-asked about (and overlooked) aspects of the contract?

Of course, you can always contact your SHARE Organizer or area Rep for help.

😉

SHARE Updates: Free Surgical Tech Certificate Program, Health Fair, and More

Read on for a series of updates from UMass Memorial that are important to SHARE members . . .

Updates from UMass Memorial Leadership

  • The ARE deadline has been extended to August 31st.  This is an important Joint Commission requirement.  Please be sure to complete them prior to the deadline.

  • Family Fun Day, September 10th 3:00pm-7:00 – for details, please check for an email sent from UMass Memorial on August 2nd.  Be sure to register to reserve your spot. 

Federal Department of Labor Puts the Spotlight on SHARE UBTs

UBTs get Kudos in National Forum

At the recent online “Power of Partnerships” event — held by the Federal Department of Labor for a nationwide audience — Facilitator Javier Ramirez asked professor Peter Lazes (author of “From the Ground Up: How Frontline Staff Can Save America’s Healthcare”) to give a high-level view of how labor-management partnership can be used to address challenges in healthcare.

In his response, Dr. Lazes jumped right into a description of the SHARE-UMass Memorial Unit Based Teams. Dr. Lazes described how front-line SHARE members are able to carve time out of the schedule to solve problems in working conditions, specifically pointing out how the UBTs have given frontline employees better access to the equipment they need, and reduced patient wait times, thereby reducing frustrations for everyone.

UBT shout-out in Federal Publication

UBTs were also featured in a recent Federal Department of Labor bulletin. Congratulations to the Outpatient Psych department UBT, and especially to SHARE member Wanda Dyer, who is quoted there saying, “The Labor-Management Partnership between the hospital and the SHARE union allowed us to be involved in a Unit Based Team (UBT) where I was comfortable talking about the challenges in the workflow.”

Louise Bachand and Wanda Dyer at the recent SHARE UBT Fair



SHARE Partnership Special: New Videos, UBTs in the National Spotlight, and More!

SHARE has designed, negotiated for, and cultivated the Unit Based Team program as a powerful way for members to be directly involved in the design of our own work. This special newsletter highlights exciting developments since the recent success of the UBT Fair.

SHARE Members on Youtube

With the help of our parent union, AFSCME, we’ve developed three short videos featuring SHARE members who describe what UBTs are, the successes they’ve had, and how the teams make a difference in their work.

All three UBT videos are now prominently featured on the SHARE homepage. Check them out! See anybody you know?

UBTs in the National Spotlight

The US Department of Labor has highlighted the Unit Based Teams in a few of their recent publications and presentations. Read more on the SHARE blog . . .

Congratulations to SHARE member Wanda Dyer, who was quoted in a recent nationwide DOL bulletin, where Wanda describes, “The Labor-Management Partnership between the hospital and the SHARE union allowed us to be involved in a Unit Based Team (UBT) where I was comfortable talking about the challenges in the workflow.

New UBT Coaches

The joint labor-management SHARE-UMass Memorial Partnership Office is growing! UBT experts Will Erickson and Stephanie Pepi have recently been joined by two new UBT Coaches: Jackie Zhou and Joan Perreault. Both have previously worked at UMass Memorial, already demonstrate exceptional skills, and we think they’re fantastic. They’re eager to help support SHARE members to make the current teams stronger and expand UBTs so that even more SHARE members can participate. Welcome Jackie and Joan! We’re excited you’re here!

Welcome to new UBT Coaches Jackie Zhou and Joan Perreault!

SHARE Updates: Tuition Reimbursement and Home Ownership Help

Tuition reimbursement: Increased and expanded

The new Tuition Reimbursement and loan repayment assistance policy in the SHARE contract negotiated last Fall increases the amount of money available to a full-time SHARE member from $2000 to $5250 per year. In addition, what’s eligible for reimbursement has expanded from just college courses to include certificate programs, and to include student debt repayment.

For more information, read the full new contract language regarding tuition reimbursement. To talk to someone with your questions, call the UMass Memorial Benefits Contact Center @ 508-334-8511.

DEADLINE Next week! Affordable Home Ownership Opportunities with Habitat for Humanity

ICYMI, UMass Memorial Hospital recently announced that Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester is offering two affordable homeownership opportunities in Sturbridge and Worcester for individuals and families within specific income brackets. If you are in need and meet the eligibility criteria, this could be an excellent opportunity for you. UMass Memorial Health is proud to have partnered with Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester on these projects to support more affordable housing in our region. Through our Anchor Mission, we provided investment to support the construction of the Sturbridge home, and our physicians volunteered in the construction of the Worcester home. Read more on the SHARE website . . .

Habitat for Humanity home nearing completion in Sturbridge

Union Plus Benefits: Home Ownership Help and More

If you’re not making use of Union Plus benefits, you might be missing out. Union Plus can help with home ownership through the Mortgage Assistance program and the Save My Home Hotline, not to mention personal loans and legal assistance. By being a member of a union, you’re also eligible for discounts negotiated on your behalf — from flowers to car rental to movie tickets — and much, much more . . .

Affordable Homeownership Opportunities with Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester

In case you missed it, SHARE encourages you to take note of the opportunities described in the following notice sent from UMass Memorial Hospital.

Habitat-for-Humanity home becoming available in Sturbridge

Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester is offering two affordable homeownership opportunities in Sturbridge and Worcester for individuals and families within specific income brackets. If you are in need and meet the eligibility criteria, this could be an excellent opportunity for you. UMass Memorial Health is proud to have partnered with Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester on these projects to support more affordable housing in our region. Through our Anchor Mission, we provided investment to support the construction of the Sturbridge home, and our physicians volunteered in the construction of the Worcester home.

Worcester: Habitat for Humanity is currently accepting applications for a single-family, attached, 4-bedroom, 2-bath home in Worcester. This home is suitable for a household size of three to eight individuals, with a maximum of four bedrooms. Veterans will be given preference during the selection process. Applications for this opportunity are being accepted from now until July 10, 2023. Learn more about the Worcester home.

Sturbridge: Habitat for Humanity is also currently accepting applications for a single family, 4-bedroom, 2-bath home in Sturbridge. The home is suitable for a household size of three to eight individuals, depending on specific household composition. To be eligible, the applicant's household income must be at least 30% but no more than 60% of the current U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) Worcester median income for their household size. The maximum selling price is currently set at $233,200, subject to change based on the selected applicant's eligible income. Applications for this opportunity are being accepted from now until August 6, 2023. Habitat for Humanity is conducting one-hour information sessions to explain the application process and details of this housing program. Learn more about the Sturbridge home.

To qualify for either of these affordable homeownership opportunities, applicants must meet specific criteria. For more information and to access the application, please visit the Habitat for Humanity MetroWest/Greater Worcester website. Habitat for Humanity's Sturbridge home under construction.

Honoring Juneteenth

Right-click the above image to save it and add it to your email signature to demonstrate to the UMass Memorial community that you value the importance of the Juneteenth holiday.

June nineteenth recognizes an important event in realizing the full emancipation of slaves in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation officially served to end slavery, it took over two years for the words of that statement to be fully enacted. June 19th, 1865 marks the day when, in Galveston, Texas, “union Army General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived to formally inform the enslaved Black and African American people of Galveston and Texas — about a quarter of a million people — that the Emancipation Proclamation had freed them.” (Learn more about the event here.)

Ever since, Juneteenth has been celebrated as a kind of second Independence Day, or Black Independence Day, with its earliest origins in black communities in the American South. The day became officially recognized in Massachusetts in 2007, and became a federal holiday in 2021. You can celebrate locally at events such as Worcester’s annual Black Heritage Festival.

Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900 held in "East Woods" on East 24th Street in Austin. Credit: Austin History Center. Learn more at the The National Museum of African American History and Culture

SHARE values the importance of this day, recognizing the legacy of racism in our country, and the important ways that the labor movement and the rights of BIPOC people (black people, indigenous people, and people of color) have been intertwined, and we will continue to work toward policies, pay structures, and cultural values that foster racial equity in our community right here. 

IMPORTANT EFFECTS OF MASSACHUSETTS’ JUNETEENTH OBSERVANCE

UMass Chan Medical School has already added the holiday to its list of official holidays. The State’s new legal designation also adds June 19th to the list of dates recognized under Massachusetts’ “Blue Laws,” thereby creating time-off and premium pay requirements for retail employers.  

NO CHANGE TO HOLIDAY SCHEDULE AT UMASS MEMORIAL 

Most employers, however, including our hospital, are not legally obligated to recognize the federal holiday. Although we urge the hospital to officially recognize this important day, government designations do not affect the current agreement that SHARE and UMass Memorial about the holiday schedule. (See Contract Page 56 for the holiday policy). 

According to a memo from Dr. Brian Gibbs, UMass Memorial Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Officer — sent to all caregivers on the occasion of Juneteenth 2022 —  “we are exploring all options to celebrate this important holiday in the future.” During contract negotiations last year, SHARE proposed that Juneteenth to be added to the list of holidays for SHARE members as part of our contract agreement. The hospital turned down the SHARE proposal, and told the SHARE Negotiating Team that they continue to evaluate the possibility of establishing the day as a paid holiday for the entire UMass Memorial community.

First Ever SHARE UBT Fair a Fantastic Success!

The first ever SHARE UBT Fair is one for the books: a brilliant event showcasing projects completed by twenty-three different teams.

Over 600 caregivers in our hospital community came to check out SHARE members’ successes and learn ways to make work better in their own departments.

SHARE members discovered models for improving systems where they work. For example, the Neurodiagnostic Clinic developed a career ladder for staff there to grow and advance in their career, right in their own department. Seen above are NDC Co-Leads Don Chin and Zenel Kurtishaj.

Projects are designed to make the work better in a department . . . but often the results can be felt downstream, making things better for other caregivers as well.

Michelle Locke (above right), management co-lead of the UBT in the Single Billing Office, appreciated the project co-lead by SHARE member Wanda Dyer of the Outpatient Psychiatry Lean Team (above left). Maximizing co-pay collections at the time of service reduces the amount of follow-up work required down the line.

Representatives from the United States Department of Labor made the trip to see just what was going on here. Labor-Management Partnership Coordinators Darnice Marsh (above, far left) and Andrew Hasty (above, far right) are among those in federal leadership working to understand ways that Labor-Management partnerships like our own can serve as a model for broader improvements.

SHARE organizer Janet Wilder (standing on chair) and UMass Memorial Medical Center President Michael Gustafson (left) applauded the work of the Teams. Janet said that, during our union’s twenty-five year history, changing how it feels to come to work every day has been one of the toughest nuts for SHARE to crack . . . but UBTs have begun to do just that, and that we’re going to keep working to keep things getting better.

Incidentally, if you’ve ever been to a SHARE event before, you know that there had to be singing. This time, “The Locomotion” and “Hotel California” became victims to SHARE’s parody lyrics team.

UMass Memorial CEO Eric Dickson offered a video message of support for Unit Based Teams, citing his own belief that people closest to the work have the best ideas about how to make things better.

Dr. Dickson says that over the past ten years, the hospital system has implemented over 100 thousand frontline staff ideas, and affirms that “without reservation, the huddles that I’ve attended that are a part of the SHARE UBTs are the best in the healthcare system.”

Watch Dr. Dickson’s brief message by clicking the image above.

Everyone who came to the event was a winner, of course, but only one person could go home with the Signature SHARE Chocolate Raffle Basket. Congratulations to Nuclear Medicine Technologist (and SHARE member) Maria Nolan!

Learn more about UBTs at

www.sharehospitalunion.org/unit-based-teams

or contact

The SHARE-UMass Memorial Partnership Office

More scenes of partnership can be found online in the growing Partnership Gallery . . .

SHARE UBT Fair TODAY!

Free sandwiches! Celebration! Free chances to win raffle prizes! Making work better! Join us today!

Wednesday, May 10

11:30AM-2PM

Faculty Conference Room, UMass Chan Medical Center

Please drop by to show you value having a voice at work

&

Celebrate the efforts of your fellow SHARE members

Bring your friends & co-workers!

Future UBT events at other sites and online TBA. More to come!

“Never Quit” Service Award Recipient: Shahida Balaparya

click the image to watch Shahida’s story

Congratulations, SHAHIDA!

Every person working to sustain their community better deserves respect, according to SHARE’s parent union, AFSCME. The 1.6 million member union highlights exceptional community service through their “Never Quit” award. SHARE congratulates Shahida Balaparya, a SHARE member and Ultrasound Technologist in the Surgical Vascular Lab, for having her outstanding commitment recognized. Shahida’s story is now highlighted on the AFSCME International website.

SHARE is very proud of the work that members do every day to keep our community healthy and strong, and we couldn’t be more excited to see Shahida’s dedication and hard work recognized nationally.

Do you remember SHARE’s first “Never Quit” award recipient? Former Anatomic Pathology department tech Jackie Rodriguez was recognized in 2019 and continues her service to our hospital community. Click the image above to see Jackie’s story.

UBT Fair CORRECTION

We’re looking forward to the first-ever SHARE UBT Fair . . . to getting together, eating free sandwiches, and showing off what the Unit Based Teams are doing!

Please note that a previous publication listed the wrong day. The event will take place on WEDNESDAY May 10 from 11:30-2

Please help us spread the word about that correction and ensure a great turnout. We want to celebrate our Teams’ successes, and want our community to see that SHARE members care about having a say in our workplace. Thank you!

Barre Clinic UBT Solving the Case of the Missing Lab Orders


The Barre Clinic is at it again, having completed a second project thanks to their department’s Unit Based Team. Patients had been arriving to their lab appointments too often with no active orders to complete the labs. After brainstorming what was causing the problem and how they might best solve it, the team came up with an intervention that everyone could agree to try. Ambulatory Service Reps began checking for orders when scheduling lab appointments, and lab staff started entering orders in real-time for any outside orders that were faxed to the clinic, rather than waiting until the patient arrived.

By making these changes to their daily workflow, the staff have seen a decrease in the number of patients arriving without orders. It used to be common for patients to arrive at the lab without orders, now it is a rare occurrence.

“It cut out a lot of extra work,” says UBT Co-Lead Amy Moisan. Staff are no longer chasing down providers to get orders or ask what labs need to be drawn, and patients no longer wait in the clinic while they look for orders and enter them, saving both patients and staff precious time.

W-4 Update: Make Changes Now to Right-Size Your Tax Withholdings

In case you missed it, the following announcement was sent to all UMass Memorial employees. Additional information can be found online at the Internal Revenue Service website. Note the May 31 deadline if you would like to make changes to your withholdings.

What’s The Short Version?

If you haven’t made changes since the 2020 tax law changes, your filing status will default to single in January. If you are not single, that means you are telling the employer to withhold higher taxes from your paycheck. (Note: you get to tell the employer how much to withhold - the single/married/kids status is a guideline for your benefit. If you withhold too little, you get whacked at tax time, and could owe fines for underpayment. If you withhold too much, you get a rebate at tax time.)

None of this means you would owe more taxes - the government would withhold more taxes and you would get some of that back when you filed the next year.  If people who are not single want to keep having taxes withheld the way that are now, they should update their W-4. Read on for the employer’s announcement . . .


TO:                  Impacted UMass Memorial Health Caregivers

FROM:            Jennifer Morrison, Director, Payroll Services, UMass Memorial Health

DATE:             April 3, 2023

SUBJECT:      Take Action by May 31 to Ensure Accuracy of Tax Withholding for Your Pay

 

UMass Memorial Health is evolving and updating our people-related information systems.

 

What You Need to Know

  • Due to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) update, we need you to take action and update/re-enter your tax withholding information.

  • No action could cause more taxes being withheld from your pay beginning in January 2024 compared to what is currently withheld.

  • Note: This applies only to caregivers who submitted a W-4 form prior to 2020. If you completed a W-4 form in 2020 or thereafter, no action is required.

 

What You Need to Do

  • Between now and May 31, 2023, it is essential that you complete a new W-4 form in HRConnect – even if there are no changes.

  • If no action is taken, your tax withholding status will default to “single” in January, with zero deductions.

    • If this withholding status is not what you normally elect, it could result in a different tax withholding for your pay beginning in January 2024 compared to what is currently withheld.

  • Follow these steps:

    • From a device connected to the UMMHC Network(either through FMD/VPN (Big IP) or onsite): Visit HRConnect > My Payroll > Update My Tax Info

    • When completing the form, please reference this job aid if you need assistance.

  • The IRS offers resources to help you determine the amount of federal income tax to withhold from your pay.

 

Questions

If you have questions, contact the Payroll Office at payrollummhc@umassmemorial.org. Please note that Payroll is not able to give tax advice. If you have any questions on how to complete this form, please reach out to your tax professional.

 

 

SHARE Updates: UBT Fair, Investing for Beginners, and more

Save the Date: Unit Based Team Fair, Coming this May!

Investing for beginners

Fidelity Investments is hosting two on-site sessions for UMass Memorial employees to learn about investing. During this 30-minute workshop, they’ll introduce basic terms and concepts as well as different investing styles. Check your work inbox for an email from the employer to sign up for one of the free sessions:

April 18 @ Noon, University Campus Amphitheater III (S6-102)

or

April 19 @ Noon, Memorial Campus Amphitheater

While all SHARE members automatically accrue toward retirement through the Defined Benefit Pension, the UMass Memorial 401k plan allows you to save for retirement, pre-tax, with UMass Memorial contributing, too. If you’ve been to a SHARE Retirement Training, you know that retirement experts say we should think of a solid retirement income as a three-legged stool, with the pension serving as one leg, Social Security as a second leg, and your total savings functioning as the third leg.

UMass Memorial adds $.50 for each dollar you contribute to your 401k, matching up to 2% of your pay. Memorial CT Technologist and SHARE Executive Board Member Jay Hagan has served as a member of the SHARE team that has negotiated with management about the current retirement benefits. “I think a lot of SHARE members don’t realize they’re leaving money on the table if they don't save through the 401k,” he says. “My financial advisor tells me, 'if you can afford it, the employer-match is really free money.' You could think of it as the hospital paying you to participate. If you don't use the match, it's like giving the money back.”

Deciding the save money with the 401K is a tough choice for many SHARE members. But the younger you start, the less you have to take out of your check each week to reach your goals. If you have questions about SHARE’s negotiated retirement benefits, please contact the SHARE office. If you have questions about your own 401k, contact Fidelity Investments at 800-343-0860, or log on to your Fidelity account at www.fidelity.com/atwork.

Make Sure Your Tax Withholding status is up-to-date

If you haven’t made changes since the 2020 tax law changes, your filing status will default to single in January. In case you missed the memo from UMass Memorial, you can read it here, along with a short explainer from SHARE.

Team Spotlight: Barre’s Unit based TEam

The Barre Clinic is at it again, having completed a second project thanks to their department’s Unit Based Team. Patients had been arriving to their lab appointments too often with no active orders to complete the labs. Read here about the two interventions they identified to solve the problem, saving time and hassle for the SHARE members who work there and their patients.

SHARE Updates: Job Fair, Staffing Shortage, Kronos, UBT Spotlight, and More

JOB Fair: This Saturday, March 25!

Do you have friends and family who are looking for work? SHARE encourages you to let them know about UMass Memorial’s job fair this Saturday, March 25, from 10am-2pm at the Church of the Pentecost, 41 Providence Street, Worcester. The hospital’s event emphasizes the value of the local Ghanaian community to our hospital community, but all job-seekers are welcome. See this flyer for more details.

In the News: The Staffing Shortage

As you know, SHARE members are feeling the burden of the healthcare staffing shortage . . . especially due to short-staffing in their departments. This article from GBH News points out that “Massachusetts hospitals paid a staggering $1.52 billion last year to hire temporary hospital workers, mostly ‘travel nurses,’ amid a labor shortage that contributed to record financial losses for many institutions.” The article cites UMass Memorial’s own CFO, vice president and treasurer, Sergio Melgar; among other things, he says that our hospital ”went into FY 2022 with 600 open jobs, and filling those vacancies with temporary workers was expensive. In some cases, he said, traveling workers were paid triple times the cost of pre-COVID rates.”

 

UNit Based TEams: Learning from Each Other

At the beginning of March, three dozen Unit Based Team (UBT) Co-Leads and Co-Sponsors joined together for a monthly Peer-Learning event. Participants learned about a useful project at Hahnemann Internal Medicine (see below). They also learned that researchers from Rutgers University are working to understand the impact that UBTs have on frontline work and workers, as well as how to convert an Idea Board idea into a UBT project. Plus! UBT leaders discussed ideas for the upcoming SHARE UBT Fair on May 10th. Everyone is invited. Keep your eyes peeled for more details about that!

Hahnemann Internal Medicine and the Book of Knowledge: it may sound like a novel in the Harry Potter series, but the Unit Based Team in Hahnemann Internal Medicine has created a way to make everyday information — as well as not-so-frequently-asked questions — easily accessible to the staff there. It’s saving SHARE members time and headaches, and could be a useful example for other departments. Learn more about what they've done.

KRONOS Update

SHARE Organizers met again with executive leadership of UMass Memorial for an update about what’s gotten back to normal, and what hasn’t yet, since the international Kronos cyber-attack. The short version:

  • Underpayment discrepancies due to Kronos have now all been processed

  • Overpayment recoupment is likely to begin in March

  • Paid Time Off/Earned Time is believed now to be correct in your bank

For all the details, see the full Kronos update post on the SHARE blog.

The SHARE Union / 50 Lake Avenue, Worcester, MA 01604 / Phone: (508) 929-4020 / Fax: (508) 929-4040