SPNN Nurses Ratify Contract With Strong Break Protections

October 2011

Registered Nurses at Sharp HealthCare ratified their contract last night. The contract between United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals and Sharp covers 4,000 Registered Nurses at Chula Vista, Coronado, Grossmont, Mary Birch, Memorial and Mesa Vista hospitals; as well as non-hospital Sharp HealthCare nurses.

"Before this contract Sharp could and often did force Registered Nurses to work for ten hours without a meal break. We won ground breaking language that now requires Sharp to provide breaks to nurses without compromising patient care,” remarked Ken Deitz, RN, President of UNAC/UHCP.

“Our members are at the heart of patient care at Sharp hospitals,” said Christine McGovern, RN, President of the Sharp Professional Nurses Network (SPNN), a Home Health nurse who’s worked for Sharp for over 30 years. “We’re proud of our work, and proud that we’ve won a contract that reflects our commitment to quality patient care, with wages and benefits that recognize our years of experience.”

Sharp is a magnet status hospital. The RNs also won improvements in educational benefits which will help them as they move toward Bachelors and Masters degrees, helping to maintain the magnet status.

Sharp Professional Nurses Network (SPNN) and Sharp management have been at the bargaining table since early August.