Forty Sharp Healthcare medical office workers voted unanimously to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, it was announced Tuesday.
The election took place by mail from June 9 to 30. The union represents 120,000 healthcare workers across California.
The workers are assigned to six offices, known as SharpCare in Coronado, Chula Vista, La Mesa, San Diego, Santee and Spring Valley. They join 6,000 Sharp workers across the region, including more than 650 earlier this year, who joined SEIU-UHW.
“We voted to unionize for the same reason so many other healthcare workers across San Diego have – to provide better care for our patients and a better life for our families,” said Sharmaine Figueroa, a medical administrative assistant at SharpCare Coronado. “Now we have a voice to improve patient care. Now we’ll be able to provide our loved ones a better, more stable future.”
The workers who unionized Tuesday join those at Sharp Metropolitan Campus, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp HospiceCare who bargained for a contract in November that includes pay increases of up to 34% over three years.
“We’re not stopping at Sharp,” said Alicia Bradley, an anesthesia technician at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital. “I know healthcare workers at other facilities in San Diego. They’ve seen how much our new contract improves things for patients, workers and this whole community, and they’re ready to join us in SEIU-UHW.”
Sharp’s leaders said Monday the system would cut 315 positions due to economic conditions having “dramatically changed over the last five years,” according to a statement from the company.
The cuts represent about 1.5% of Sharp’s workforce and includes some executive and management positions.
“Our employees are the heart of our organization, and we value each and every one of them,” Sharp CEO Chris Howard said.
“We do not make these decisions lightly nor without compassion for those impacted, and we are committed to supporting those affected during this challenging transition with career transition support, severance packages, extended health care coverage and other resources to assist them in continuing their careers.”
According to the company, the majority of the cuts were in non-clinical positions, “resulting in minimal impact to direct patient care.” Senior executives will reduce their compensation by 15%, and Howard will take a 25% cut, he said.
Howard cited increasing labor costs, “state-mandated” seismic requirements and less reimbursement from Medicare, Medi-Cal and commercial insurers.
“The daunting financial headwinds health care systems nationwide have been facing are not letting up,” said Brett McClain, Sharp HealthCare’s Chief Operating Officer.
Last week, UC San Diego Health cut 230 positions citing “financial pressures caused by federal impacts to health care, regulatory uncertainty and rising costs of providing care combined with reimbursement rates from Medicare, Medicaid and insurers that fail to keep pace with the true cost of care,” according to a statement from the hospital system.
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