The union representing nurses at Sharp Healthcare facilities in San Diego County will tabulate votes Thursday that were cast by members on whether to ratify a tentative three-year contract.
Union leaders recommended that the rank-and-file approve the deal, which was struck last Friday. Results of the voting are expected to be announced early in the afternoon.
The nurses had planned a three-day walkout for last week, but it was headed off when the union and Sharp management agreed on provisions regarding union membership. That spurred further negotiations that led to the tentative agreement.
During months of talks, Sharp offered raises to the nurses — who work at Sharp Memorial and Mary Birch Hospitals in San Diego, Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
Their union leaders, however, had considered the pay hikes too small to reduce what they considered to be a high turnover rate that impacted their work environment and patient care.
–City News Service
