Nurses at Wilcox Medical Center begin 3-day strike
LIHUE (HawaiiNewsNow) - More than 100 nurses at Wilcox Medical Center began a three-day strike Tuesday after contract negotiations between the Hawaii Nurses' Association, hospital leaders, and a federal mediator ended Monday evening without an agreement.
The strike began at 7 a.m. and nurses are slated to return to work on Friday.
HNA said Wilcox nurses were disappointed the hospital refused to staff their medical and surgical units at the same rates as their facilities on Oahu.
The union said ultimately, it wants to ensure Kauai residents receive the same level of care as patients on Oahu.
“The patients of Kauai deserve the same standard of care as those on Oahu. The nurses want to end this double standard,” Rosalee Agas-Yuu, president of the Hawaii Nurses’ Association, said in a statement.
“Under management’s proposals, the Wilcox nurses in the hospital’s main Medical-Surgical Department would continue to take care of six patients at a time. This gives only 10 minutes per hour for each patient. This unsafe staffing compromises the quality of care for patients.
“By contrast, Kapiolani nurses take care of four or five patients at a time, which gives 12 to 15 minutes per patient. The extra two to five minutes per patient could save lives. This is what the nurses are fighting for and why they are willing to go on strike. Wilcox Medical Center patients deserve the best care and the nurses have offered to continue negotiating throughout the three-day strike,” she added.
In response to the strike, Wilcox Medical Center said it is fully staffed with a temporary group of experienced nurses, and is committed to reaching an agreement.
Jen Chahanovich, Wilcox Medical Center president and CEO, said in a statement:
“Wilcox Medical Center continues to provide uninterrupted, high-quality care for our community. The temporary workforce of experienced nurses transitioned smoothly into the medical center this morning and are now working alongside our Wilcox medical teams to care for our patients. We are fully staffed. No services are disrupted.
“Patients are unique and require their own individualized care. Each medical center is different with its own support teams. Our Medical Surgical unit cares for a variety of conditions. That is why we are proposing to work together with our nurses to adjust staffing levels as needed through a staffing council using national standards. Patient safety is and always will be our top priority at Wilcox.
“We remain committed to reaching an agreement for our nurses. We are planning to meet with the Hawai‘i Nurses’ Association today so that our nurses can benefit from a new contract as soon as possible.”
Earlier this month, Wilcox Medical Center nurses “overwhelmingly” voted in favor of a strike over unfair labor practices, claiming that nurses faced harassment, discrimination and retaliation by management for taking part in contract negotiations.
Negotiations began with Wilcox Medical Center last May. The nurses have been without a contract since Aug. 31.
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