Workers at Sharp HealthCare medical offices across the San Diego area have voted to form a union with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West.
The election, conducted in June by the National Labor Relations Board, covers approximately 40 front-line workers at six offices known as SharpCare in Coronado, Chula Vista, La Mesa, San Diego, Santee and Spring Valley, according to the union.
Six thousand Sharp Healthcare workers across San Diego, including administrative service representatives, medical administrative assistants, and care coordinators, have now joined SEIU-UHW.
“We voted to unionize for the same reason so many other healthcare workers across San Diego have — to provide better care for our patients and a better life for our families,” Sharmaine Figueroa, a medical administrative assistant at SharpCare Coronado, said in a union news release. “Now, we have a voice to improve patient care. Now, we’ll be able to provide our loved ones a better, more stable future. That’s a win–win!”
In a statement shared with Becker’s, Sharp HealthCare vowed to contest the election, citing the low vote total as a share of the affected workers in determining union representation. “As always, we respect the voices of all team members to make their own decisions regarding union membership. While we expected this result — though it was comprised of only 11 validated votes — and ultimately, the drive to have one unionized voice, Sharp is compelled to file objections to this process to protect the legal interests of all involved and, more importantly, the integrity of the process.”
The NLRB must still certify the election results.
