The Hawaii Nurses’ Association has notified Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai that the 159 registered nurses represented by the union will begin a three-day limited-duration strike next week to protest unfair labor practices and to underscore the fight for “safer” nurse-to-patient ratios.
HNA issued the notice Saturday for the strike, which will begin at 7 a.m. Jan. 14 and end at 6:59 a.m. Jan. 17. Wilcox, which is the largest medical center on Kauai and is part of Hawai‘i Pacific Health, has said it will remain open during the strike, and it has secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses.
The nurses strike at Wilcox comes after eight months and 22 negotiating sessions, including recent sessions with a federal mediator. It also follows an upcoming strike of 1,900 HNA nurses of The Queen’s Medical Center that is slated to begin at 11 a.m. Jan. 13 and continue through Jan. 16 at 6:59 a.m.
Over the New Year’s holiday, union nurses at both Queen’s on Oahu and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai voted to authorize strikes protesting unfair labor practices.
Jen Chahanovich, Wilcox president and CEO, said in a statement, “We are extremely disappointed by HNA’s decision to strike as we are so close to reaching an agreement. Our responsibility is to take care of our community and the people of Kauai who depend on us.”
HNA said Saturday that the union has filed unfair labor practice complaints against Wilcox with the National Labor Relations Board for “unlawfully interfering with the rights of employees who request union representation and for engaging in illegal discrimination and taking adverse actions against bargaining unit employees in retaliation for their participation in contract negotiations.”
HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu said in a statement, “The nurses at Wilcox have been fighting for safer nurse-to-patient staffing to deliver excellent care for the people of Kauai. They should not be subject to retaliation because of their advocacy. Access to quality care is already very challenging on the neighbor islands.”
Last fall some 600 HNA nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children were locked out by management for 18 days after a one-day strike, which followed an earlier weeklong walkout in January. The lockout continued until Oct. 2 when a new three-year contract was reached that HNA said included the first contractually enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios in Hawaii history.
Chahanovich said Wilcox management and HNA are scheduled to bargain Thursday and Friday. However, she said Wilcox has notified HNA that it is willing to meet earlier.
“For months, we have expressed to HNA that we are willing to negotiate in person as often as possible, for as long as it takes,” she said. “We have based many of our proposals on the contract HNA accepted at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, with some adjustments for the unique needs of Kauai.”
Wilcox management has said that it has presented an offer that would raise nurses’ base salaries to $138,000 to $161,000 for a three-day workweek by the end of the contract. It also includes a “flexible staffing matrix” that is based on national standards and is similar to what HNA nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children approved in their most recent contract.
“We care for our nurses, and our offer reflects what they have asked for as well as what we believe is necessary to care for our neighbor island community,” Chahanovich said.
HNA’s Wilcox nurses, however, say more work, especially on safe-staffing ratios, is needed to reach agreement.
Jessi Dettle, a Wilcox nurse, said in a statement: “HPH continues to disrespect its nurses by forcing us to work in unsafe staffing conditions. Ultimately, the people who suffer the most are our patients.
“This decision to strike is not being taken lightly. We have to make the difficult choice to stand up to the bullies in HPH administration for what is right for our communities and our families,” Dettle said. “Our island is changing and growing, and the current practices at Wilcox do not address the older and sicker population coming through our ER, OR and into the inpatient units.”
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Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Nina Wu contributed to this story.
