The union representing nurses at San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare delivered a petition to health system leaders Sept. 17, highlighting their concerns amid ongoing contract negotiations.
A Sharp HealthCare spokesperson told Becker’s that representatives received the petition from the Sharp Professional Nurses Network — an affiliate of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals — “in the same mutually respectful manner as the parties’ negotiations have been conducted.”
The union represents more than 5,700 nurses at Sharp HealthCare. Both sides have been in negotiations since July for a new labor contract. The current agreement expires Sept. 30.
In the petition — signed by about 3,000 nurses — union members called on management to address what they described as low pay, unfair sick leave policies and unsafe working conditions, according to a news release from the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals shared with Becker’s.
According to the union, the petition reads in part: “Registered nurses are the heart of the Sharp Experience. Patients come here for us. We demand that Sharp put patient care first by investing in its nurses through fair pay, fair treatment, and a fair contract.”
Sharp HealthCare emphasized its “long and positive relationship” with nurses and their union, while pointing to wages as a sticking point in the latest negotiations.
“On Aug. 29, UNAC, the union representing Sharp’s nurses, presented its initial economic demand,” the health system said in a statement. “This proposal would result in more than $800 million in additional costs over three years. Sharp remains committed to a fair and responsible economic package for its nurses. In fact, our nurse wages are currently at or above the market. However, the union’s proposal is not feasible, especially in light of the financial headwinds facing nonprofit healthcare providers, including Sharp.”
