5,800 Sharp Nurses and Workers Vote to Strike Over Unsafe Staffing and Low Pay

Thousands of nurses and healthcare professionals across San Diego are preparing to strike after an overwhelming majority, 98%,  voted to authorize walkouts at Sharp Healthcare, the region’s largest healthcare system, according to a press release obtained by Nurse.org. 

The Sharp Professional Nurses Network (SPNN), which represents more than 5,700 registered nurses, along with 127 additional healthcare professionals—including pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, and speech-language pathologists—voted to move forward with strike authorization after months of stalled negotiations.

The unions say the fight isn’t just about wages, but about patient safety and respect for the professionals who keep hospitals running.

“I take care of moms and babies after delivery. I do not take the choice to go on strike lightly,” said Nieysha Richard, RN, who has worked at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns for nearly 20 years. “We need support from the people who claim that we're the backbone of their organization. We don't want to be a broken backbone. We want to be a strong, supportive backbone.”

The nurses, represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP), have been in bargaining since July. Their previous contract expired September 30, and after a brief two-week extension, Sharp executives have yet to agree on a deal. Nurses voted 97% in favor of strike authorization, while healthcare professionals at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center voted 93% in favor—giving their teams the green light to take action if management fails to reach a fair contract.

Key issues include unsafe staffing ratios, low wages, and a punitive sick leave policy that nurses say forces them to choose between protecting patients or risking discipline for staying home sick. Currently, full-time nurses must work ten weeks to accrue enough sick time to cover one shift.

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

Nurses and other healthcare professionals say the ongoing staffing crisis, coupled with below-market pay, has made it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain staff—jeopardizing both patient care and worker safety.

“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 the Sharp Professional Nurses Network. “The only way to fight for you is to also fight for ourselves.”

Earlier in October, thousands of Sharp employees picketed outside multiple facilities across San Diego holding signs that read “Safe staffing means safe care” and “Sick leave is care leave — End the write-ups.”

Sharp management’s proposal also includes the removal of retiree medical coverage—meaning nurses who retire before Medicare age could lose access to Sharp health insurance altogether.

Nurses say that contradicts the decades of collaboration they’ve built with hospital leaders through the Registered Nurse Advisory Committees (RNACs), which help improve patient care. Sharp management had initially proposed eliminating those committees but withdrew the proposal after powerful testimony from nurses about their importance.

As negotiations continue, nurses remain committed to reaching a contract that values both their work and their patients’ safety.

“We are dealing with San Diego's high cost of living,” said Gatewood. “We need fair pay and respect so we can keep doing what we love—caring for our community.”

The strike authorization doesn’t mean a strike will happen immediately, but it gives union leaders the power to call one if Sharp fails to reach an agreement. For now, nurses say the message is clear: they’re standing up not only for themselves, but for every patient who deserves safe, compassionate care.

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