The unionized nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children notified management today that they will strike for one week later this month after the two sides failed to reach a deal in contract negotiations.

The Hawaii Nurses’ Association, which represents about 600 at Kapi‘olani, said nurses are scheduled to begin the strike at 7 a.m. Jan. 21, and continue until 6:59 a.m. Jan. 28, with the required 10 days notice to management, according to a news release.

After months of contract negotiations, the two sides could not agree on key issues including the union’s demand to establish nurse-patient ratios that set the maximum number of patients a nurse is assigned to care for in a shift.

Rose Agas-Yuu, HNA president said Kapi‘olani had presented its last, best and final offer, but that there was little movement forward in negotiations this afternoon.

The union said the strike was called due to management’s failure to bargain in good faith and unfair labor practices.

“We offered to accept many of their terms and conditions and asked for some concessions, but we were stonewalled,” Agas-Yuu said in a news release. “Kapi‘olani’s leaders have publicly stated they are committed to caring for our community and would always prioritize patients, but this was not reflected in our private negotiations.”

She said management refused to address the issue of unsafe patient-nurse ratio.

Kapi‘iolani officials said the strike notice was disappointing, given that management had presented a fair and generous offer to HNA, addressing items that it identified as priorities for the nurses.

“Throughout the negotiations, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children has addressed the priorities presented on behalf of our nurses with the intent of moving forward together,” said Gidget Ruscetta, Kapi‘olani chief operating officer.

“Despite the union’s decision to strike and refusal several times to negotiate with a federal mediator, we want to reassure the community that we will continue to serve our patients and their families,” Ruscetta said. “Kapi‘olani will be here to serve our community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we will never waver from that responsibility.”

The hospital said it has secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses to ensure patient services and hospital operations are not affected.

Kapi‘olani officials said they offered across-the-board raises and longevity pay that would make experienced nurses among the highest paid nurses in the state. The nurses would make between $124,000 to $151,000 annually for a three-day work week, not including premium pay, overtime and shift differentials, the company said in a news release.

Additionally, Kapi‘olani said it offered staffing guidelines strongly aligned with most of HNA’s proposed staffing assignments.

On Friday, 96% of nurses at Kapi‘iolani voted to authorize a strike, and talks were scheduled to resume today and Thursday. Negotiations for a new contract began in mid-September.

The nurses have worked without a contract since their three-year contract expired Nov. 30.