FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
August 14, 2024

SAN DIEGO — Less than a week after hundreds of frontline healthcare workers descended on Sharp Healthcare headquarters, more workers from across the Sharp Healthcare system in San Diego will picket throughout August over safety concerns and unfair wages that are driving the healthcare staffing crisis in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

The first protest occurred at Sharp Grossmont Hospital on Wednesday, August 14, followed by pickets at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and the Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus the following weeks.

“Too many of my coworkers are leaving the field because of the heavy workloads and low pay that doesn’t allow us to care for our own loved ones,” said Fatima Ghoulam, a certified nursing assistant at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. “Many healthcare workers have no choice but to take on additional jobs and work six or seven days a week to make ends meet.”

Frontline healthcare workers are also calling attention to how Sharp Healthcare executives have violated federal labor law. In recent months, they have filed several charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Sharp Healthcare for violating frontline workers’ rights to organize, retaliating against workers who support making improvements and continuing to fail to bargain in good faith to improve working conditions.

“Together, we’ve filed legal charges against Sharp because these conditions can’t be ignored anymore,” said David Robinson, a healthcare professional at Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus. “They have tried to silence us and retaliate against us, but it didn’t stop us. Now we’re standing among thousands of unionized Sharp Healthcare workers, and we are united to improve care for our whole community.”

In 2022, Sharp awarded hospital executives more than $12 million in compensation, while CEO Chris Howard saw his pay increase 43% since the pandemic. At the same time, healthcare worker pay lags behind the rising cost of living in San Diego, where housing is 123% above the national average, and many frontline workers are forced to commute hours to find affordable housing.

“My coworkers and I show our dedication to patients every day, but we aren’t given the pay we need to care for our own families,” said Joyce Malveaux, a patient access services representative at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. “It’s hard to attract and retain healthcare workers for such low wages in an expensive area like Chula Vista, so we’re always rushing from patient to patient and stretched thin. Our patients and our co-workers deserve better.”

Sharp Healthcare worker pickets will be held at the following times and locations:

Wednesday, August 14 • 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sharp Grossmont Hospital and HospiceCare
5555 Grossmont Center Dr, La Mesa, 91942
(intersection with Healthcare Dr)

Wednesday, August 21 • 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
751 Medical Center Ct, Chula Vista, 91911

Wednesday, August 28 • 6 a.m. – 8 a.m & 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus
7901 Frost St, San Diego, 92123
(by the SHARP sign)

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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. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.