About 5,800 Sharp nurses and health care professionals launched a three-day strike Wednesday morning, calling for better wages, staffing levels and sick leave policies. Picket lines formed at sunrise outside three Sharp hospitals across San Diego County.
Union members are represented by the Sharp Professional Nurses Network.
“We're striking for much needed improvements to our work environment, improvements that we feel are going to allow us to provide better patient care to the residents of San Diego,” said Andre Gatewood, a speech language pathologist at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.
Many workers are struggling with the region’s high cost of living, Gatewood said.
“Many of us are being paid wages that don’t even allow us to afford a simple one-bedroom apartment in San Diego County. Which is unacceptable,” he said.
Sharp executives held a news conference Wednesday morning at SharpHealth’s corporate office in Kearny Mesa. They said they are offering significant pay increases as part of ongoing negotiations.
“Our proposal offers significant guaranteed pay increases. Competitive nursing wages with current average salary of $160,000 and growing to 180, with the most experienced nurses averaging an annual salary of $225,000,” said Susan Stone, Sharp’s chief nursing executive.
Sharp’s proposal also includes 70 hours of paid sick time a year for nurses, Stone said.
Sharp said all hospitals will remain open during the strike and that more than 950 replacement workers have been brought in to cover shifts through Saturday morning.
Union members said they hope the turnout on the picket lines will help push negotiations forward when both sides meet again in December.
