The SHARE Unions

WHO IS SHARE? 

Since its beginning in 1997, SHARE has grown to become a community of nearly 3,200 employees at UMass Memorial Hospital (AFSCME Local 3900) and UMass Medical School (AFSCME Local 4000). Our newest union chapter at UMass Memorial Hospital in Marlborough is currently negotiating its first contract! We make up the largest unions, at the largest employers, in our region. We take care of Central Massachusetts. Here's how . . .

WE TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER

 Our union model emphasizes participation in decisions at work, as well as labor-management partnership. Person-to-person relationships engage us in the building of our community.

We’re trading stories and using our collective knowledge to improve how the work gets done and enjoy our lives more.

We know that many around us perform exciting, important work also. And yet, somehow, too often, we all feel subject to the daily grind. Systems are broken. Resources aren’t where they need to be. People fumble, get tired, and stress. From the front lines, we aim to lead the way toward a happier, smarter, more productive workplace.

WE INNOVATE, ADAPT, and GROW: a Bit of History

In 1997, when SHARE was voted into existence, the two SHARE unions were one union, representing 2,200 employees. When UMass Memorial Hospital privatized, thereby becoming a separate employer from UMass Medical School, we necessarily forged contracts with each. We have since become more complex than our origins as the union of State Healthcare and Research Employees (S.H.A.R.E.), and have worked to cultivate a unique culture in each workplace. Our workplaces have grown and evolved since then, and so has SHARE. 

WE CONNECT

We share our vision with sister unions at Harvard University (the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers) and Cambridge Health Alliance (the Union of Social Workers), with whom we form the New England Organizing Project (NEOP).

We promote our own union model as a viable alternative for organizing existing unions. Our unions are also affiliated with AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, a national union representing over a million members.

Additionally, we’re constantly studying and connecting with other local, national, and international groups to cultivate the best community we can. We do this informally, connecting with local organizations and initiatives, as well as through institutions such as the Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), the Harvard Trade Union Program (HTUP), and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

WE BELIEVE IN WHAT WE DO

Some of us work directly to support cutting edge research. Some of us save lives, literally, with our own hands, every day that we come to work. Every one of us pushes toward important goals in our workplace. We support ambitious missions in research, education, and patient care at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Hospital. These institutions work because we do. 

When we're on the clock, we work in many different job titles, performing countless roles. We are also mothers, artists, leaders in our local towns and cities, ukelele players, cooks, entrepreneurs, world-travelers, knitters, readers, and softball players. Some of us have deep, deep roots here: we innovated and saved lives before computers and antimicrobial gel. SHARE also folds-in new members and fresh perspectives every day.  

WE KEEP AT IT

We know there’s a lot to be done. And we’re the ones doing it, right here, for ourselves . . .