SAN DIEGO (CNS) — Preparations for a possible strike against Sharp HealthCare are underway today after 97% of nurses voted to authorize it, according to union officials.
Members of the Sharp Professional Nurses Network and Sharp Chula Vista health care professionals voted in favor of authorizing a strike in results announced Friday. The unions gave Sharp officials 10 days notice of a walkout, though bargaining sessions were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
The nurses are seeking better pay, improved sick leave policies and adequate staffing to ensure patient safety, they said.
"While this vote does not mean a strike will occur immediately, it does reflect the significance of the issues being discussed at the bargaining table," Sharp said in a statement provided to City News Service on Saturday.
"Sharp deeply values our nurses and the critical role they play in delivering compassionate, high-quality care to our community. Sharp has put forward a strong proposal for our nurses, who currently earn more than $77 per hour on average plus benefits.
"The proposal includes significant increases to this pay, plus enhancements to extended sick insurance and retirement benefits. At the same time, we are mindful of the current and future financial challenges facing Sharp and other not-for-profit health systems."
Union officials said that after 14 negotiation sessions, "ultimately, any strike would be about protecting our patients, our profession, and our licenses, and we don't see Sharp taking these issues seriously enough. We have been losing nurses to better-paying hospitals," the unions said in a statement. "At the same time, we've been negotiating to attract and retain nurses so that we can provide the quality of care we used to and want to be able to provide again."
Copyright 2025, City News Service, Inc.
