Kaiser Employees Holding Six-Day Strike Statewide

Kaiser Permanente employeers at Maui Lani in Wailuku (pictured here) and at other locations statewide will be demonstrating during a six-day strike. Photo by Jim Lordan.

By Maui Now Staff

Kaiser Permanente employees will be demonstrating during a six-day strike statewide beginning today, Feb. 2. Local 5, an organization representing about 1,900 Kaiser employees, organized the demonstrations in response to staff cuts and closing facilities.

Picketing will take place on Maui at Maui Lani and Wailuku, on O‘ahu at Moanalua, Honolulu and Waipio; and on Hawai‘i Island in Hilo and Kona. Employees plan to march and chant outside of Kaiser facilities, while passing out leaflets on recent Kaiser decisions that have adversely affected patient care and staff.

“When I first started working at Kaiser, we were trained to care for our patients like family,” said Shanelle Simpliciano, a certified nurses aid at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua. “That’s especially important in my department–mother and babies. But with all of the cuts to staff, Kaiser is making it harder and harder to provide that kind of care to our patients,”

“Kaiser has changed for the worse since I started working here 17 years ago,” said Momi Hai, a lead front desk employee at Kaiser Permanente Maui Lani. “We’ve struggled with our jobs getting subcontracted, or our jobs getting cut completely. It has a real impact on workers and patients. Meanwhile, Kaiser makes $11 million a day. Kaiser is thriving, but what about us?”

Workers on strike are still encouraging patients to come into the facilities for any needs they may have, especially in cases of emergency. The strike will end on Saturday, Feb. 7 at midnight.

Picketing will occur at the following locations and times (street parking available only):

Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, 3288 Moanalua Road, Honolulu
Monday, Feb. 2, 12:01 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Kaiser Permanente Honolulu Medical Office, 1010 Pensacola Street, Honolulu
Monday, Feb. 2 at 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Kaiser Permanente Waipio Medical Office, 94-1480 Moaniani Street, Waipahu
Monday, Feb. 2 at 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.