5,800 Sharp Nurses and Healthcare Professionals to Strike Thanksgiving Week

Nearly 5,800 nurses and healthcare professionals at Sharp HealthCare are preparing to strike over Thanksgiving week, according to a press release obtained by Nurse.org. The strike is escalating a months-long battle over fair pay, safe staffing, and working conditions they say are jeopardizing both patients and frontline workers.

What began as a strike authorization has now become one of San Diego’s largest healthcare strikes in decades, set to unfold during one of the busiest times of the year for hospitals.

Thanksgiving Strike Announced: Dates, Times, Locations

According to an updated announcement from UNAC/UHCP and SPNN, the strike will begin:

• Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.
  and end
• Saturday, November 29, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

Picket Schedule:

• Wednesday, Nov. 26: 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day): 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, Nov. 28: 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  
  

Strike Locations:

• Primary: Sharp Metro Campus – 5651 Copley Drive, San Diego, CA 92111
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital – 5555 Grossmont Center Dr, La Mesa, CA 91942
• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center – 751 Medical Center Ct, Chula Vista, CA 91911

Why Nurses Are Striking

Nurses say the strike is not just about wages—it's about protecting patient care, ensuring safe staffing, and defending basic workplace fairness. They argue that Sharp’s current proposals fail to address dangerous staffing levels, below-market pay, and harsh sick leave policies that punish nurses for staying home when they are ill.

“If I wanted to get rich, I would never have chosen nursing,” said Carolyn Huynh, RN, who works in critical care, stroke, and rapid response at Sharp Grossmont. “I want to be inside caring for my patients. But now I have to stand in the street to protect the very people I’m trained to heal.”

Huynh added: “We don’t walk away from our patients — we walk out for them.”

Months of Negotiations, No Contract Settlement

The 5,800 professionals going on strike are part of the Sharp Professional Nurses Network (SPNN), an affiliate of UNAC/UHCP.

• The nurses' previous contract expired September 30, 2025.
  
  
• Nurses agreed to a two-week emergency extension through November 5.
  
  
• Despite months of bargaining, Sharp executives have not agreed to a deal addressing staffing, wages, or sick leave concerns.
  
  

Meanwhile, a separate unit of 127 healthcare professionals—including pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, and speech-language pathologists—also voted 93% in favor of a strike authorization as they negotiate their first contract.

Key Issues at the Center of the Strike

1. Safe Staffing

Nurses say Sharp’s proposals do not go far enough to guarantee safe workloads or ensure caregivers have a meaningful voice in patient advocacy.

2. Punitive Sick Leave Policy

Under the current policy:

• Nurses must work 10 weeks to accrue enough sick time to cover one shift
  
  
• Those without enough accrued sick time face disciplinary action for staying home sick
  
  

Nurses say this forces them to choose between protecting their patients and protecting their own jobs and families.

3. Below-Market Wages

Sharp nurses report being paid significantly below market value in one of the most expensive regions in the country.

Additionally, Sharp’s proposed “banded wage” system would reduce wage rates at certain experience levels, creating a two-tier wage structure and suppressing wage growth across San Diego.

Nurses Say the Strike Is About Protecting Patients

“If you see us out there, we’re fighting for the patient care and safety that you deserve from the largest healthcare provider in the region,” said Andrea Muir, RN, president of SPNN. “The only way to fight for you is to also fight for ourselves.”

Another nurse, Nieysha Richard, RN, who has worked at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for nearly 20 years, emphasized the weight of their decision:
“I do not take the choice to go on strike lightly. We want to be a strong, supportive backbone—not a broken one.”

Union Leaders Say Sharp Must Invest in Frontline Staff

Nurses argue that Sharp’s refusal to partner on safe staffing, fair compensation, and reasonable sick policies is worsening an already critical staffing crisis.

“Three years into my career, and I still can’t afford an average one-bedroom apartment in San Diego,” said Andre Gatewood, a speech-language pathologist at Sharp Chula Vista. “Fair wages allow our members to devote our full attention to providing top-notch patient care.”

What Happens Next?

The strike does not guarantee immediate resolution, but it places significant pressure on Sharp management to return to the bargaining table. Nurses and health professionals say they remain committed to securing a contract that:

• Protects patient care
  
  
• Keeps skilled nurses at the bedside
  
  
• Ensures safe working conditions
  
  
• Provides fair and competitive compensation

As thousands prepare to take the picket line over Thanksgiving week, the message from nurses is clear:
This strike is not about walking away from patients — it’s about standing up for them.

🤔Nurses, share your thoughts in the discussion forum below!