Dive Brief:
- Sharp Healthcare nurses canceled their scheduled three-day strike that was supposed to have begun on Monday, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
- The nurses are represented by an affiliate of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals - Sharp Professional Nurses Network.
- Sharp Healthcare was prepared for the strike to happen as it announced earlier this month it had contracted "an agency that provides specially trained nurses who are committed to providing high-quality patient care during nurse strikes and has filled that role for many hospitals across the country."
Dive Insight:
The nursing role has expanded in scope, with the impending clinician shortage and the increased focus of quality of care. Yet nurses across the country continue to feel undervalued in the workplace. Although the average salary for registered nurses saw an increase of 3.4% over the past year, the Sharp nurses' argument for wage increases to compete with other hospitals offering higher wages was the main motivator for the strike.
Sharp Healthcare offered its nurses a 16% to 26% raise for the next contract term based on their experience, career advancements and educational background, but the nurses requested a 31% pay increase, Becker's Hospital Review reported. The union said the strike was canceled because they were able to find "common ground" on the issue, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Although the hospital had made plans in preparation for the walkout, they may have been as costly as they were for Allina Health. Nurses at Allina Health held a week-long strike in June that caused it to pay $20 million to hire replacement nurses. It paid $84 million for the same purposes during Allina nurses' strike that lasted a little over a month from September to October.