SAN DIEGO – The registered nurses (RNs) of Sharp HealthCare have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new three-year contract after more than three months of negotiations.
The new contract gives Sharp nurses new avenues to advocate for safe staffing and patient care, as well as substantial wage increases that will compensate them at rates similar to nurses who work for the University of California-San Diego Health and Kaiser Permanente.
This should help recruit new nurses to Sharp HealthCare, keep experienced nurses at the bedside, and begin to reverse RN turnover rates, which climbed to nearly 17% in 2021-2022.
“We’ve all been through so much during the last 2½ years of this pandemic. We’re forever changed by that experience,” said Andrea Muir, an RN and vice president of the Sharp Professional Nurses Network (SPNN). “We let management know going in that this was not just another contract negotiation. We bargained a contract that recognizes our contributions and sacrifices during the pandemic, offers real solutions to RN turnover, and respects our need to speak up for our patients and the highest standards of care.”
Highlights of the new agreement:
- Sharp will provide a no-cost option for full- and part-time RNs to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing beginning in 2023.
- Base pay for all Sharp RNs will increase by $15-$20 per hour over the next 24 months.
- Across-the-board wage increases of 4% on Oct. 1, 2022; 3.5% on Oct. 1, 2023; and 4% on Oct. 1, 2024.
- A wage grid with increases for experience every year for an RN’s entire service with Sharp.
- Language that guarantees staffing levels – nurse-to-patient ratios – won’t be reduced even if changes are made to California’s nurse staffing regulations.
- Increased access to the RN Advisory Committee, which gives nurses a forum to resolve patient care concerns in collaboration with management.
- Improved infectious disease notifications and new personal protective equipment (PPE) protections.
- RNs assaulted or threatened in workplaces will be allowed time off to recover without having to take paid time off or sick leave.
- Enhanced protections against harassment and discrimination, including language to reflect current law that prohibits discrimination because of race, including hair texture and hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.
- On-call pay of $15.50 per hour for nurses to be available for emergencies – among the highest in the country. This helps ensure enough RNs to care for patients in a crisis.
- Enhanced retirement and retiree medical benefits.
SPNN, the union representing almost 5,000 Sharp RNs at the bargaining table, held a series of meetings where the nurses reviewed the details of the agreement and then voted online this month. SPNN is an affiliate of UNAC/UHCP, which represents 32,000 registered nurses and other health care professionals in California and Hawaii. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees and AFSCME.