Workers at UMass Memorial Marlborough Hospital in Massachusetts say they are excited and hopeful about making a positive impact on their workplace and the services they provide now that they have a voice on the job. As members of a SHARE union, AFSCME Local 3900, they are negotiating their first union contract with hospital management.
“I feel very positive about it,” says Nancy Rolland, a registered technologist who has worked in radiology for 25 years. “I think it’s exciting that we’re going to be able to share our input with the administration and I’m hoping that we’ll reach an agreement.”
Marlborough Hospital is a small community hospital in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and part of the larger UMass Memorial health care system. Rolland says she’s never been part of a union, but she and her colleagues were ready for it. Workers decided to form a union through AFSCME earlier this year.
“It was amazing!” she says. “I think we were all surprised with the number of votes cast in favor of the union. We’re all hoping it will give us an opportunity to voice our opinions and let the administration know what we think is the best way forward.”
In addition to fair pay and improved working conditions, the workers want to find ways to raise patient care standards.