Nurses, pharmacists, other workers authorize strike against Sharp HealthCare

A strike is possible against Sharp HealthCare after 97% of registered nurses voted to authorize it, union officials said.

The option was presented to the 5,700 members of the Sharp Professional Nurses Network, an affiliate of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.

A smaller unit of 127 Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center health professionals, including pharmacists, occupational and physical therapists, medical social workers, registered dietitians and speech-language pathologists, also voted in favor of authorizing a strike. They have been bargaining for their first contract since February.

Nurses, during negotiating sessions held since July, are seeking better pay, improved sick leave policies and adequate staffing to ensure patient safety, representatives said. Their contract expired Sept. 30; nurses, though, had agreed to an emergency extension that ended Wednesday. 

“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,” the unions said in a statement.

Sharp, in a Saturday statement, countered that it has offered “a strong proposal for our nurses, who currently earn more than $77 per hour on average plus benefits.”

It includes “significant increases” to pay, officials said, plus enhancements to extended sick insurance and retirement benefits.

“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,” the company added. “Sharp deeply values our nurses and the critical role they play in delivering compassionate, high-quality care to our community.”

City News Service contributed to this report.