Nurses, hospital far apart
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A nurses' strike at Wilcox Hospital is now in its sixth week, and the nurses and hospital owner Hawai'i Pacific Health appear farther apart than they were when the strike began.
The latest proposal from the nurses, made this week, was rejected by the hospital. It followed the hospital's proposal last week, which included a number of features that nurses described as "punitive."
Among them, the termination of longevity pay, the elimination of 12 licensed practical nurse positions, the requirement that all nurses before rehiring pass a competency test that had not been required before the strike, requiring all nurses to work 12-hour shifts, and reserving exclusive right to make decisions about medical staffing.
The nurses this week presented a counter-offer, including a suggestion that an independent third party be consulted to review staffing issues, which the hospital rejected without further negotiation.
In other developments:
"It's become clear to us that all the major decisions are being made in Honolulu by Chuck Sted. There is no one on Kaua'i that's going to end this strike," said Hawai'i Nurses' Association political and education coordinator Clyde Hayashi. Sted did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
Wilcox spokeswoman Lani Yukimura said the hospital's negotiating decisions are all being made locally, and that any approach to Sted is inappropriate.
"He's not on the negotiating team. It's the management team here that does that," Yukimura said.
Hawai'i State Teachers Association Kaua'i director Tom Perry said union members have been joining and will continue to join nurses on picket lines.
"My personal feeling is that it should be a combination of nursing and management that makes that decision. The nurses seem to be very stuck on being able to tell the hospital how we do our staffing," Clark said.
Hayashi said the nurses went on strike over the hospital's refusal to adjust staffing when healthcare demands were high.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.
