Sharp Nurses Show Unity at the Table
Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, Sharp and other hospitals were warned about nurse shortages. As COVID cases climb, Sharp nurses are again rising to
heroic levels—even as management downplays and ignores the current crisis.
At bargaining on Thursday, hundreds of nurses donned PPE and showed up in unity to hear management’s response to our common sense proposals to improve care at Sharp in the face of an unending pandemic.
The recurring COVID-19 increases have exacerbated nurse exhaustion at a time when patients need more care. Nurses have recounted their stories in the media and at the bargaining table.
Many are suffering from lasting complications of contracting COVID, while others have burned out from trying to make up for low staffing levels.
Our proposals would:
- Improve staffing and patient care
- Protect us
- Keep our colleagues from seeking other job opportunities that provide more respect and more control over where and when they work
We are talking about respect. Nurses must see how they talk behind the billboards. Behind closed doors, they don’t want to treat us like the best in the universe. We will not allow Sharp to turn their backs and ignore us.
—Daniel Quinones, RN, Chair (Mesa Vista)