Healthcare workers announce three-day strike, beginning Monday morning

Hundreds of nurses and other healthcare workers will walk off the job for three days beginning 7 a.m. Monday, impacting care from essential staff at Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lāna‘i Community Hospital. Maui Health released a statement Thursday afternoon that negotiations are ongoing, but it has contingency plans to continue operations if there is a strike.

According to an announcement Thursday morning by the United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaiʻi, the strike will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Maui Memorial; from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kula Hospital, and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Lāna‘i Community Hospital. It will end at 7 a.m. on Thursday at Maui Memorial when the day shift walks back into work.

The Maui Health statement reported Thursday afternoon that: “Together we have successfully reached tentative agreements for almost all non-economic articles. This progress will allow us to focus upcoming bargaining sessions on wages, benefits, and staffing.”

The employer said it has contingency plans in “the unfortunate event of a strike.”

“We have comprehensive plans in place to help ensure the best possible care for our patients, residents, and the communities we serve on Maui and Lāna‘i,” Maui Health said. “Our hospitals, emergency departments, and clinics are open and will remain open and operating as usual. The union’s planned strike does not change our commitment to care, and we will be well-prepared for the possibility of a disruption caused by union activities. In planning for a potential strike, we have secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses and health care professionals who will work with the rest of our health care team, for as long as needed. What we want most is to have our own staff at work doing what they do best, providing exceptional and compassionate care to our patients and residents.”

The employer also said four additional bargaining sessions have been through Sunday, the day before the beginning of the scheduled three-day walkout. One bargaining session was today.

“Maui Health’s bargaining team is prepared and ready to continue productive discussions,” the employer said.

“Labor contract negotiations provide the opportunity to work toward new, mutually beneficial agreements between employers and union-represented employees,” Maui Health said. “We remain committed to continuing to bargain in good faith and are open to exploring options that may allow us to reach an agreement with (the union) that provides market-competitive compensation and benefits for our employees while ensuring we can continue to provide our community access to the high-quality health care they need and deserve.”

“We value and respect all of our employees; they are the very heart of the safe, high-quality and compassionate care we provide,” Maui Health said.

The union’s announcement of an unfair labor practice strike union members has been brewing for awhile. The announced strike comes after three months of contract talks between employer Maui Health System and the union. In September, union members voted to authorize a strike, if necessary.

The union represents represents 900 Maui Health employees on Maui and Lāna‘i. Union members include registered nurses, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, speech/language pathologists, MRI, imaging, and mammography technicians, financial counselors, admitting clerks, receptionists, and others.

The union members are scheduled to return to work at 7 a.m. Nov. 7.

According to the union, “the primary issues remain safe staffing and wages that can retain staff in Maui to care for Maui residents.”

The union said its bargaining team has proposed the same staffing ratios that Kaiser agreed to in its contract with registered nurses in California. Studies show that for every patient added to a nurse’s workload, mortality rates increase by 7%, according to the union.

According to the union, a ward clerk at Maui Memorial earns, on average, 19.66% less than an employee in the same classification at a nearby Kaiser clinic in Wailuku. Receptionists and lab assistants make nearly 20% less and a clinical coordinator 17.09% less, the union says.

It reports that turnover rates among ancillary staff at Maui Memorial are 16.19% vs. 7.3% at Kaiser’s other Hawaiʻi hospitals and clinics.

The union also cites a June study by the Hawaiʻi State Rural Health Association, “Maui Together.” That study indicates that 39% of medical professionals are contemplating moving to the Mainland. Another 40% are considering a reduction in hours, and 35% are thinking about leaving medicine altogether, according to the union.

Maui Health said it would provide community updates on the situation at www.mauihealth.org/community.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to include Maui Health statements released Thursday afternoon.