The union nurses at Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai have voted to authorize a strike over unfair labor practices.

The Hawaii Nurses’ Association, which represents 159 nurses at Wilcox, said today that more than 76% of union members voted in favor of authorizing a strike “to show their disdain for the rampant unfair labor practices.”

“The voting results at Wilcox send a strong message to management,” said HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu in a news release. “The nurses are saying, ‘Enough already. It’s time to move forward and do what’s right for the people of Kauai.’ The nurses are fighting for safer nurse-to-patient staffing to deliver good care for patients and are being put through hell because of their commitment to professionalism.”

The latest vote comes on the heels of another one by nearly 2,000 nurses at Queen’s who also voted to authorize a strike on New Year’s Eve.

HNA represents nurses at Wilcox, Queen’s — and Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, which held two strikes last year and were locked out by management, before reaching an agreement on a new three-year contract.

The contract for Wilcox nurses expired Aug. 31. Negotiations have been ongoing since early May.

HNA said it has filed a number of unfair labor practice complaints against Wilcox, which is operated by Hawaii Pacific Health, with the National Labor Relations Board.

Among them are unlawful interference with the rights of employees who request union representation, discrimination, and adverse actions against bargaining unit employees for participating in contract negotiations.

Additionally, HNA said it filed an unfair labor practice complaint for off-duty nurses who were prohibited from accessing their worksite to speak with fellow union members and were subjected to threats and discrimination.

Union nurses across the state have been advocating for better nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, saying they have been overburdened, compromising the safety of patients.

Hospital management has pushed back, saying fixed ratios do not allow for the flexibility needed to address patients’ changing needs, and could result in unintended consequences.

“Hawai‘i Pacific Health has the capacity and resources to fix this problem, as they did for the patients at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children,” Agas-Yuu added. “Donʻt patients and their families on Kauai deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity?”

“We are disappointed in the Hawai‘i Nurses’ Association’s decision,” said Wilcox President and CEO Jen Chahanovich in a written statement. “We are focused on the negotiations set for Jan. 9 and 10, and remain committed to reaching an agreement for our nurses, our medical center and our community.”