Two major healthcare providers in San Diego have some very unhappy employees.
Sharp Healthcare workers on Friday morning began the first in a series of protests, while nurses at Rady Children's Hospital said they are again going on a short-term strike again.
The issue: Money.
A Team 10 examination into the finances of both organizations show each made more than $400 million in annual profit.
But the health care providers say they have reinvested that money into facilities, supplies and pay increases for all employees.
Both organizations are tax-exempt companies, which means federal law requires each to disclose their annual tax return forms.
Those records show that Rady Children's made $1.2 billion in profit from fiscal 2019 to last year.
About one third — $412 million — was earned last fiscal year, records show.
On Friday, the 1,600-member nurses union told the hospital it was going on a five-day strike, starting Aug. 19, after rejecting the latest contract offer.
"While there were some improvements in the latest offer, it was evident that the hospital was attempting to divide us by reallocating money from some of our members to others," the United Nurses of Children's Hospital (UNOCH) Teamsters Local 1699 said in a statement. "This is unacceptable. As Teamsters, we stand united in our fight for a fair contract that benefits all nurses."
The hospital says it has a contingency plan to keep its doors open as it did last month when nurses staged a two-day strike.
"Rady Children's believes the most recent tentative agreement with UNOCH was fair, competitive and sustainable and allocated available funds to the areas we believe are of greatest need," the hospital said in a statement.
Rady nurses, saying they are some of the lowest paid nurses in greater San Diego, have demanded a 30 percent raise over three years.
The hospital had offered a 25 percent raise over that time.
The most recent offer that was rejected was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Sharp Healthcare workers picketed outside the company's headquarters on Friday.
Sharp workers said they too are underpaid, driving turnover and short staffing.
"I work at Sharp, and I also have another job at another organization," said David Robinson, a Sharp employee. "Sharp basically pays for my rent, and the other organization pays the rest of my bills."
Another worker told Team 10 that some employees sleep in their cars because they don't make enough money.
Sharp said it has raised its minimum wage to $23 an hour in May, and it supported a new state law that gradually raises the minimum hourly pay to $26 in two years.
Sharp in a statement said the law provides "needed time to plan and budget for the increase in expenses in a way that ensures our team members are supported and access to patient care is maintained."
Team 10 found that Sharp in fiscal 2022 made a $436 million profit after losing tens of millions of dollars each of the prior five years.
Records for fiscal 2023 were not available.
Sharp workers plan to picket at other Sharp health care sites through August.
