SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Sharp HealthCare announced Friday the ratification of a new contract for its registered nurse bargaining unit.
This comes after seven months of negotiations with the United Nurses Associations of California and the Union of Health Care Professionals.
The nurses' union contract expired on Sept. 30, 2025, and since then, the union has been asking for higher raises for the nurses.
The 4-year agreement includes:
- Base-pay increases of 5% in the first year and 4% in each of the three subsequent years for all Sharp bargaining-unit registered nurses
- 72 hours of sick leave frontloaded and the ability for RNs to use other paid time off (PTO) or unpaid leave to cover the difference if they don’t have enough
- Improved retiree medical benefits
"We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which reflects our commitment to our nurses and our community. We believe it will help us continue to attract the very best registered nurses to Sharp,” said Susan Stone, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President, Health System Operations and System Chief Nursing Executive at Sharp HealthCare.
According to the nurses' union, the higher wages will help attract and retain nurses at Sharp.
“This win is about more than a contract. Sharp registered nurses stood together to ensure that the San Diego community gets the health care they deserve, and has access to skilled, dedicated caregivers in their moments of need,” said Andrea Muir, RN, a Sharp Med-Surg/Telemetry nurse, President of the UNAC/UHCP affiliate at Sharp, and a member of the bargaining team.
The nurses' union reached a tentative agreement on Jan. 12, 2026.
