Hawaii Nurses Union, Kapi’olani Resume Negotiations Thursday

The Hawaii Nurses Association and Kapi’olani Medical Center have scheduled another meeting Thursday to try to agree on a new contract that would avoid a one-day strike and subsequent lockout.

HNA and Kapi’olani executives met to resume negotiations Monday, days after the union filed an injunction seeking to end 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 striking workers over unfair labor practices.

Although the NLRB is currently investigating, no decision is expected before Friday’s planned strike, according to HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yee.

The strike planned for Friday is an “unfair labour practice” strike, according to the union, called in response to intimidation of unionized nurses filling out safe staffing forms.

These reprisals continue, the union alleges, with the threat of an indefinite lockout by hospital management preventing nurses from returning to work after the strike.

Gidget Ruscetta, Kapi’olani Medical Center’s chief operating officer, responded: “We are confident in our legal position.”

If the strike continues, Kapi’olani said he would use temporary labor and maintain his full staff.

On Monday, the two sides negotiated again without reaching a new agreement but agreed to meet again on Thursday.

The two parties said they agreed on 12 points, but they still disagreed on how to ensure adequate staffing to meet patients’ needs. HNA wants safer ratios that limit the number of patients per nurse, especially in intensive care, while Kapi’olani proposed a “staffing matrix” that allows for flexibility to meet changing needs.

“We met with the Hawaii Nurses Association today and had productive discussions to advance negotiations on a new contract,” Ruscetta said in a statement Monday. “We have agreed to meet again Thursday to continue negotiations. Kapi‘olani remains committed to reaching an agreement for our nurses as soon as possible.”