Day after Sharp Healthcare cuts hundreds of jobs, admin workers join union

Wellbeing care providers gather at the nurses station in the intensive care unit at Sharp Chula Vista Medicinal Center File photo by Zo Meyers inewsource Forty Sharp Healthcare healthcare office workers voted unanimously to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West it was revealed Tuesday The balloting took place by mail from June to The union represents 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 Sharp workers across the region including more than earlier this year who joined SEIU-UHW We voted to unionize for the same reason so multiple other healthcare workers across San Diego have to provide better care for our patients and a better life for our families commented Sharmaine Figueroa a physiological administrative assistant at SharpCare Coronado Now we have a voice to improve victim 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 Medicinal Center Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Sharp HospiceCare who bargained for a contract in November that includes pay increases of up to over three years We re not stopping at Sharp reported 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 region and they re ready to join us in SEIU-UHW Sharp s leaders noted Monday the system would cut positions due to economic conditions having dramatically changed over the last five years according to a comment from the company The cuts represent about of Sharp s workforce and includes selected 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 disclosed 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 help severance packages extended vitality care coverage and other tools 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 individual care Senior executives will reduce their compensation by and Howard will take a cut he noted Howard cited increasing labor costs state-mandated seismic requirements and less reimbursement from Medicare Medi-Cal and commercial insurers The daunting financial headwinds physical condition care systems nationwide have been facing are not letting up revealed Brett McClain Sharp HealthCare s Chief Operating Officer Last week UC San Diego Wellness cut positions citing financial pressures caused by federal impacts to wellbeing 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 report from the hospital system