Hawaii nurses union and Kapi‘olani to resume talks Thursday
The Hawaii Nurses’ Association and Kapi‘olani Medical Center have scheduled one more meeting on Thursday in an attempt to agree on a new contract, which would avert a one-day strike and subsequent lockout.
HNA and Kapi‘olani executives met to resume talks on Monday, days after the union filed an injunction seeking to stop the lockout.
HNA, which represents about 600 nurses, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, citing Kapi‘olani’s failure and refusal to bargain in good faith. The union also said it was illegal to lock out workers striking over unfair labor practices.
While the NLRB is now investigating, a decision is not expected before the scheduled strike on Friday, according to HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yee.
The planned strike on Friday is an “unfair labor practice” strike, according to the union, mounted in response to intimidation of union nurses filling out safe staffing forms.
This retaliation continues, the union alleges, with the threat of an indefinite lockout by hospital management preventing nurses from returning to work after the strike.
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Kapi‘olani Medical Center’s Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta has responded with, “We are confident in our legal position.”
If the strike goes forward, Kapi‘olani has said it will bring in a temporary workforce and remain fully staffed.
On Monday, the two parties negotiated again without reaching a new contract but agreed to meet again on Thursday.
Both parties said they were aligned on 12 issues, but still disagreed on how to ensure adequate staffing to meet patients’ needs. HNA wants safer ratios limiting the number of patients per nurse, particularly in intensive care, while Kapi‘olani has a proposed “staffing matrix” that allows for flexibility for changing needs.
“We met with the Hawaii Nurses’ Association today and had some productive conversations to help move forward on a new contract,” said Ruscetta in a statement on Monday. “We have agreed to meet again on Thursday to continue negotiations. Kapi‘olani remains committed to reaching an agreement for our nurses as soon as possible.”
