Proposed Contract Ratified

SHARE members voted overwhelmingly to approve the tentative agreement made by the SHARE negotiating team and the UMass Chan negotiating team.

Thank you to all SHARE members who came to meetings, shared their opinions, kept their coworkers informed, brainstormed new ideas to shape the agreement, and then voted to approve it. Your participation made this agreement possible!

Thanks also to the hard-working negotiating team, who put in long hours through a difficult negotiation to come up with the best possible deal for their coworkers!

The final vote count was:

134 YES

1 NO

2 Abstaining

Tentative Agreement for 2025-2026 Contract

We are very happy to announce that SHARE and UMass Chan Medical School have reached a Tentative Agreement for a 1-year contract with good raises and a few other changes.

SHARE members will vote Yes or No on October 15th – 17th.

We are holding information meetings to answer questions and discuss the proposal. You should have received an email with the details. Please contact SHARE if you want more information.

Below is a link to the Tentative Agreement and below that are the highlights.

Tentative Agreement - full language

Click here for the full language of the tentative agreement: https://theshareunion.net/2025SHAREUMassChanCBAMOA.pdf

Highlights 

Duration:

·         One-year contract July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026.

·         Negotiations for next contract will begin by February 2026.

Raises

·        $0.91/hour or 2.5%, whichever is greater, for SHARE members who are past their probationary period. Retroactive pay back to 7/13/25.

·        SHARE members who were in their probationary period on 7/13/2025 will receive a 1.5% raise after completion of the 6-month probationary period.

Important Notes about Raises

·        Maximums: All SHARE members will receive a full raise added to base pay even if they are at or over the maximum of their grade.

·        Minimums: The minimum of each grade will move by 1.5%. SHARE employees below the new grade minimum move up to that minimum before getting their raise.

·        Structural Raises will continue as before.

·        Eligibility: To get the raise and retro, SHARE members must be on the payroll on 7/13/2025 and on the date the raise and retro are delivered.

·        There are exceptions for people who retire or are laid off after 7/13/2025.

Step Raise discussion

·         SHARE and UMass will continue to discuss moving to a step system and we will create the framework we would like to see. We acknowledge that the implementation depends on several factors, including the financial situation.

Reclassification Deadline

·         Following January 30, 2026, the deadline to file a request will be September 30th of each calendar year, with a hearing to be held within 90 days from September 30th. 

Performance bonuses

·         Bonuses will happen annually; don’t have to wait for a raise to be negotiated.

·         The University may change the performance appraisal process & form.

·         If that happens, we will discuss the changes, and bargain about any impacts to the performance bonuses. The highest lump sum award will be at least $250. 

Attendance & Punctuality:

·         Absences will not be considered unscheduled if they are pre-approved, covered by the law, or:

o   Justified by a doctor’s note or the direction of Employee Health Services.

o   When a supervisor/manager sends an employee home sick.

Bilingual Pay:

·         Bilingual employees in DES will have the bilingual differentials adjusted to $.60 for Group A and to $1.00 for Group B. 

·         The Pharmacy bilingual pay program will match the hourly differentials of the DES program.  All other applicable terms of the CPS (Pharmacy) agreement on bilingual pay will remain in effect.

Bereavement:

·         Bereavement time will be granted in the case of pregnancy loss.

Parking

·         Clarify that the Chancellor and VCAF make decisions about the parking program at UMass Chan, not the Board of Trustees.

Bargaining Unit Meeting Recap: Contract Update

SHARE Meeting for whole Bargaining Unit 8/27/2025 

Topic: Contract Update 

1. How we got where we are 

• We hoped to be negotiating for step raises – 2 raises per year – we hoped would happen this year but it needs to go on our list for next contract 

• Started negotiations with 0% raise 

• Considered repurposing some of the childcare fund money to make sure no one was moving backwards with no raise and high insurance and other costs 

• In June – non-union staff got notice of a 2.5% raise 

• In July management team made 2.5% offer to SHARE team 

• The idea of repurposing some of the childcare fund turns out to be difficult – it will take time and lawyers to figure out how to do this. Also may need these funds for next contract if financial situation does not improve. 

• Discussed other topics and made some progress on contract language 

2.What is happening now 

• We are working on how big the floor will be – a floor is a fixed dollar amount – for example, last year we got 2% or a floor of $.75 

• HR presentation: Financial context – still bad, layoffs every week 

• Looking for a conversation with senior management – have previously met with John Lindstedt, VCAF 

• Will fight for retro 

• Did get performance bonuses 

• People at max – we want to continue ignoring maxes because some members are over the max of their grade 

3. Contract campaign 

• If we need to have a contract campaign to get to an acceptable agreement, what would we do? Solidarity days, Petition, Rally, Phots ops, Singing funny songs, etc. 

• Is this the right time for a contract campaign because of layoffs and other cuts? 

• Balancing best contract this year and how negotiations start in 6 months 

• Uncertainty of next year too 

4. What happens next? 

• Asked for a meeting with VCAF 

• Next meeting with management team scheduled 9/10 

• September Member Meeting 

• contract campaign? 

5. What happens once we have a tentative agreement between SHARE negotiating team and management team 

• Information snail mail and email to members 

• Meetings for members to discuss 

• Members vote 

• Next contract – we will start negotiating in Feb 2026 

6. Questions and other topics 

• What is the floor amount going to be? 

• People at max? 

• Contract campaign in the context of hardship 

• We need to get at least what others got 

• Retro? 

Update 9/19/25: 

a. We met last week with Patrick Gallagher, the new Chief Human Resources Officer. It was a productive meeting, and we felt that he was listening thoughtfully to what we had to say. We look forward to seeing what impact the meeting may have on contract negotiations. 

b.We postponed regular negotiating sessions for a couple of weeks while we wait to hear back. Our next meeting is scheduled for October 1st.

c.The next lunchtime meeting for SHARE employees will be Wednesday, September 24, 2025. 

Contract Update

Since our last update about contract negotiations, we have narrowed down what needs to be done to settle the contract. We will talk more about this at the Member Meetings next Weds, August 27. In the meanwhile, here are some things you might be wondering about:

• We are talking about a % raise with a “floor” amount, like we usually have, so that each member gets the raise that is bigger for them

• We are not going to be able to put a step system in place in this 1-year contract

• We are keeping an eye on the retro owed because the raises did not take effect in July

• We will make progress on some but not all of the other ideas we have raised

• We will be back in negotiations for the next contract in 6 months time

Join us on Weds, August 27, at 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, or 1:30pm to discuss contract negotiations in more detail. Feel free to reach out to one of the SHARE staff organizers if you have questions.

In Solidarity,

A.J., Jameal, Jana, and Elisabeth

2025 Merit Bonuses

Hi SHARE members! We hope you are enjoying these cooler summer days!

The annual Merit Bonuses have been paid out to those who received an “Exceeds” or an “Outstanding” on their annual performance review. They should have been included in the last pay period, on August 15th.

If you achieved an Outstanding, the bonus is $250.00

For an Exceeds, the Bonus is $100.00

Over the years, SHARE has helped members who were entitled to a bonus but did not receive it due to clerical errors or other reasons. If you believe you are missing your bonus or are having another issue with your bonus payment, please contact your union organizer at SHARE.UMMS@theshareunion.org as soon as possible.

Thank you!

The SHARE staff

Contract Update: Bargaining for Raises

As many of you already know, SHARE began bargaining for our next contract in March. We knew going in that UMass Chan was facing huge financial challenges due to the loss of grant funding, which led to the furloughs and layoffs of a few SHARE members and of many other employees, so far.

Over the last several months, we have connected with our members through one-on-one calls and member meetings. We brainstormed options together which wouldn’t necessarily contribute to the financial difficulties the Med School was facing but would still mean something to SHARE members. Some of these included:

• Increasing SHARE Members’ time off

• ·Thinking of ways to offset costs for rising health insurance

• ·Discussing the scheduled parking increases

• Cashing out PTO time

On June 25th, UMass Chan announced raises of 2.5% for non-union employees. This is great news for SHARE members, since it indicates that unions will also be able to receive a raise this year. Because of this news, SHARE has shifted focus in negotiations to securing a meaningful raise for our members, while not abandoning the many ideas we have thought about over the last few months.

Historically, SHARE has always negotiated a substantial raise that didn’t only rely on the percentage increase, but instead provided a minimum amount, or “floor.” This floor gives many of our members more than what the percentage would result in. We understand that SHARE members are among the lowest paid at UMass Chan, and a raise like 2024’s 2% would only mean .50 cents for our member making $25.00 an hour. However, a floor like last years of .75 cents equated to 3% for that member making $25.00. These creative ideas around raises are what we are working on now, and beginning to talk about in negotiations with representatives from UMass Chan.

In our most recent member meeting, on July 23rd, we discussed the financial situation as noted above and received feedback from many who attended.

• Members are concerned about maintaining the current Merit Bonuses and were happy to hear that SHARE intends to continue pushing to keep some sort of Merit Bonus in the next contract.

• As our annual raise date has already passed, SHARE members are concerned about losing a portion of their raise due to the timing of the contract. SHARE reassured that we would continue to push for the raises to be implemented retroactively, to ensure everyone is “made whole” as we have consistently done in the past.

• We discussed our traditional raise model, which includes a floor. We talked about how our members make much less than non-union staff, and that 2.5% is very little for most SHARE members. We explained that this floor provides a substantial raise for those making less money and that this is something we have always negotiated for.

• During the meeting, the topic of a new pay structure, which would involve “step raises” on SHARE members’ anniversaries was talked about. As part our last contract negotiations, we made an agreement to discuss a new pay structure with Labor Relations which would involve these kinds of raises. At this time, we are pushing to make progress on this pay structure, but we are unsure if this could be included in this upcoming contract, given the financial constraints on UMass Chan.

As negotiations continue, we will pass along any information we can via, phone calls, blog updates, and continue to hold member meetings to keep everyone up to date.  

Now Accepting Applications for the Childcare and Academic Enrichment Funds

SHARE/UMass Chan Medical School Childcare Fund

The SHARE Childcare Fund is now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 cycle. All SHARE union-eligible staff at UMass Chan are encouraged to apply and receive financial assistance for daycare, after-school programs, in-home childcare, vacation, snow and summer camps.

(***Current recipients NEED to REAPPLY.***)

Click Here For The Childcare Fund Application

*If you prefer a printable version of the application, please click HERE You can mail this application to the SHARE Union, 50 Lake Ave, Worcester Ma 01604 Or Fax it to: 508-929-4040

The Academic Enrichment Fund

The Academic Enrichment Fund is a negotiated fund that helps SHARE employees with the costs of supplemental academic activities for their children, ages 5 to 18. This includes activities such as tutoring, summer classes, SAT prep courses, and college application fees. 

 Click Here For The Academic Enrichment Fund application 

Adoption Subsidy

If your family is exploring adoption, you may wish to consider the SHARE Adoption Subsidy, which provides financial assistance for adoption costs. The award can only be used for expenses directly related to the legal adoption of a child. (See contact info below)

For more information about the Childcare Fund, Academic Enrichment Fund or Adoption Subsidy, please contact:
Jameal Jackson
Jameal.Jackson@theshareunion.org
617-429-1194

For More info about other SHARE member benefits click below: https://www.shareumms.org/why-membership-matters

Member Meetings Weds June 18

SHARE will hold four meetings of 30 minutes each, Wednesday June 18th. Drop in any time you can join us. The agenda will start at 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, and 1:30. The 1:30 time has been added on as an experiment to see if we can attract any members that have a later lunch.

MEMBER MEETINGS – Weds, June 18th – at 12:00pm, 12:30pm, 1:00pm, or (NEW) 1:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81055196683?pwd=a9D7wjzSAOcabbRpSBr8fvMgxPe6qu.1

Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting Meeting ID: 810 5519 6683 and Passcode: 878575

The agenda will include:

1. Contract Negotiations Update

2. Anything else you would like to discuss

As we are currently in contract negotiations, membership is very important. There is strength in numbers! The larger our membership is, the larger our seat at the table is, the louder our voices are, and the more we can get accomplished. If you have not signed a SHARE membership card already, please let us know so we can get you signed up!