FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
November 1, 2024

SAN DIEGO, Calif.  — Nearly 5,000 frontline healthcare workers who are part of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Sharp HospiceCare, Chula Vista Medical Center, Memorial Hospital, Mesa Vista Hospital, and Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns announced on Friday they voted to authorize a five-day strike to protest unfair labor practices (ULPs) at Sharp Healthcare by a 92% yes vote.

“It’s heartbreaking to see what we have to fight with,” said Cheryl Okuboye, a licensed vocational nurse at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. “I have worked at Sharp for more than 24 years and given my heart and soul to caring for our patients. To see management break the law and refuse to bargain in good faith with me and my coworkers when all we want is to care for our patients and families is unacceptable—and it hurts. We are a family at Sharp, and we are united. We won’t stop fighting for our rights, patients, and one high standard of care and working conditions.”

Frontline healthcare workers say Sharp executives refuse to acknowledge the staffing and patient care crisis in their facilities. Short staffing and low pay put patients and workers at risk as workers struggle to meet patients’ needs, and many frontline caregivers at Sharp facilities are forced to commute hours to work due to the lack of affordable housing.

“I drive 97 miles to work every day,” said Tony Napoli, a respiratory therapist at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “It’s an hour and a half each way, so that’s three hours added to my 12-hour shift. It’s also between $500 and $600 monthly in gas, which many of us have to do. We pay hundreds of dollars monthly for our healthcare, while many veteran employees like myself haven’t seen a raise in years. We‘ve been pushed to the brink.”

Healthcare workers have been leaving the industry in droves with devastating consequences for patients, and the crisis is reaching a breaking point in San Diego. Instead of listening to frontline healthcare workers to find solutions, Sharp executives are breaking U.S. labor law and bargaining in bad faith.

“Working full-time in the emergency room at Sharp Memorial Hospital is only enough to cover my rent, so my second job has to provide for everything else that my partner and I need,” said David Robinson, a healthcare partner at Sharp Memorial Hospital. “I’ve worked at Sharp for more than 10 years, and I love what I do. But I don’t know how much longer I can afford to be a healthcare worker at Sharp in San Diego. Management admits their pay system is broken but continues to bargain in bad faith and deliberately delay our negotiations. We are forced to strike to stop Sharp’s illegal tactics. Our patients and coworkers can’t wait any longer.”

In a historic first for San Diego healthcare workers, thousands of employees at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, Sharp HospiceCare, Chula Vista Medical Center, Memorial Hospital, Mesa Vista Hospital, and Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns successfully organized union elections following the sacrifices of the pandemic. Since opening negotiations in late 2023, they have been through more than 33 negotiating sessions but still have yet to reach an agreement on a first contract.

Despite being a non-profit organization that benefits from paying no income taxes, Sharp Healthcare has reported more than $654 million in profits since the pandemic’s start. Sharp financial records show annual revenue of nearly $4.5 billion in 2022. Sharp’s CEO was compensated more than $2.4 million in 2022, and his compensation increased more than 43% since 2020.

The strike vote applies to various job classes, including certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, respiratory care practitioners, pharmacy technicians, patient transporters, radiologic technologists, surgical technologists, lab technicians, nursing unit clerks, and numerous other frontline healthcare workers.

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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers.