Thousands of UNAC/UHCP Nurses to Picket Sharp Across San Diego To Improve Patient Care

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 a.m. PT

CONTACT: press@unacuhcp.org

THOUSANDS OF UNAC/UHCP NURSES TO PICKET SHARP ACROSS SAN DIEGO TO IMPROVE PATIENT CARE

Registered nurses and healthcare professionals will hold informational pickets over three days at three Sharp hospitals to demand that the healthcare giant put patient safety first

Contract for over 5,700 nurses expired on September 30 as Sharp executives refuse to settle a fair contract

 SAN DIEGO, CA – Thousands of registered nurses and healthcare professionals with Sharp Healthcare will rally at informational pickets outside their hospitals for three days, amid ongoing bargaining with Sharp executives for a fair contract that protects patient safety.

Nurses seek to settle a fair contract that addresses risks to patient care. Staffing shortages and high turnover will follow if Sharp’s wages continue to fall further behind those of major San Diego competitors like Kaiser, UCSD, and Rady’s. Sharp’s wage proposal undercuts the bedrock of high-quality patient care by devaluing the experienced nurses whose guidance and mentorship is essential to younger nurses when they face crises on the job they cannot learn about in school.

“In Mother-Baby, we have hemorrhages, we have high-risk patients,” said Peggy Bowman, RN, who has worked with newborns at Sharp Mary Birch for 35 years. “When I was a new nurse, I literally had a postpartum hemorrhage happen right in front of me, and I was scared. If it wasn’t for those experienced nurses I was able to call on to help guide me through that, I don’t know what might have happened.”

Sharp’s backwards, punitive sick leave policy puts patient safety at risk every day by forcing nurses to choose between protecting their patients and protecting their own jobs and families.

Joining the nurses will be 125 Sharp Chula Vista advanced practice professionals, consisting of pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, registered dietitians, social workers, and speech language pathologists. They have been negotiating since February for their first union contract that seeks improved working conditions and competitive wages, and to protect their voice in patient care.

The nurses delivered a ten-day notice of the actions to their employers today. They are represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP).

NOTE: Registered nurses are available for interviews prior to the actions and on the picket lines.

Who: 5,700+ Sharp registered nurses with UNAC/UHCP
What: Sharp registered nurses to hold 3 days of informational pickets demanding Sharp put patient care first by investing in nurses as they bargain for their next union contract.
When: Wednesday, October 15 through Friday, October 17,  6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. each day
Where: Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. PT

  Sharp Metro Campus:

  (including Sharp Memorial, Sharp Mary Birch, and Sharp Mesa Vista)

7901 Frost St, San Diego, CA 92123

  Thursday, October 16 at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. PT

  Sharp Grossmont Hospital

5555 Grossmont Center Dr, La Mesa, CA 91942

  Friday, October 17 at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. PT

  Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center

751 Medical Center Ct, Chula Vista, CA 91911

 

BACKGROUND:

Sharp nurses are paid below market rate and struggle to support themselves and their families in one of the most expensive cities in the country. In addition, Sharp’s sick leave policy puts patients at risk, penalizing sick nurses for staying home. Management’s backwards policy requires nurses to work 10 weeks just to earn enough sick time to cover just one shift, and disciplines them for staying home if they haven’t accrued the proper sick time. This leaves nurses with an impossible choice between protecting patients and protecting their jobs and families.

This treatment contradicts the history of RNs and management collaborating to solve problems and improve patient care at the unit and facility levels through their local Registered Nurse Advisory Committees (RNACs). Earlier in negotiations, management proposed eliminating these committees, but withdrew their proposal after moving testimony from RNs about their necessity and effectiveness.

“We want a fair contract that recognizes our experienced nurses,” said Jonathan Argento, RN, ICU. “We want sick time that is realistic and does not put ourselves or our patients in jeopardy. This picket is how we all stand together and bring our demands out into the community to get support.”

“I would say to the public, if you see us out there, we’re fighting for the patient care and safety that you and your loved ones deserve from the largest healthcare provider in the region,” said Andrea Muir, RN. “The only way to fight for you is to also fight for ourselves.”

Nurses at Sharp began negotiations with Sharp Healthcare in July, and the current contract expired on September 30.

Separate Kaiser Negotiations, Same Contract Expiration Date

Elsewhere in San Diego, up and down California, and in Hawaii, separate negotiations are unfolding between Kaiser and a large workforce of UNAC/UHCP nurses and other union healthcare professionals.

That contract, which includes 31,000 Kaiser healthcare professionals working throughout California and Hawaii, expires on the same date as the SPNN contract: September 30, 2025. This large unit of Kaiser workers just recently voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, sending a clear message that they are ready to walk off the job if management fails to address safe staffing and fair pay.

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 United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). UNAC/UHCP represents more than 40,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals in California and Hawaii, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; case managers; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners; hospital support and technical staff. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees (NUHHCE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO.