United Public Workers union employees at Maui Memorial Medical Center (pictured here Thursday), Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital will go on strike Wednesday after voting to reject Maui Health's final offer. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

United Public Workers members rejected Maui Health’s “last, best and final offer” and will go on strike at three Maui County hospitals beginning at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

After two days of member ratification meetings, the UPW union, which represents nearly 500 employees at Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital, voted to not accept the offer by Maui Health, which operates the facilities. Union members include nurses’ aides, respiratory therapists, housekeepers, cooks and other workers.

A union representative said Tuesday evening that he could not share details of the vote and could only confirm that the offer was rejected.

Maui Health said in a statement late Tuesday night that it is “disappointed” by the vote result and that its Maui Health Emergency Operations Center team has developed a contingency plan to reduce disruption to normal operations.

“The safety and accessibility for our employees, providers, patients, and visitors is our priority. All Maui Health System facilities, including Maui Memorial Medical Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center Outpatient Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital will be accessible during this time. Scheduled procedures and appointments will continue. We appreciate your patience and will provide regular updates when available,” Maui Health said.

Tamara Manley, a Maui Health employee and UPW member involved “from day one” with the nine-month negotiation process said Tuesday night that union members “overwhelmingly rejected the offer.”

“Our bottom line, what we want, we want to be treated equally, fairly, with dignity, respect and to make sure we can provide our patients the best care that we can give, safely,” Manley said.

Among the things members are seeking is longevity or loyalty pay for those who have been with the hospital prior to, during, and after the transition of the three former quasi-public hospitals’ operations to Maui Health in July 2017.

Manley said members also want equal pay, as some who have worked more than 20 years at the hospital are making lower wages than new hires that they have to train.

The union also wants to stop the practice of some workers putting in 16-hour shifts two to three days in a row, said Manley, who has been at the hospital since 2008.

When asked about the decision to strike knowing it will disrupt operations, Manley said: “They did think long and hard. This decision was not made lightly. This decision came with thought and this is what they’re asking for.”

Maui Health workers with different unions have been rallying in recent months to spotlight concerns over staffing and pay. The start of the UPW workers’ strike comes on the heels of a six-month strike by Kaiser mental health clinicians that ended after they voted over the weekend to accept Kaiser’s offer.

*Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com. Managing Editor Colleen Uechi contributed to this report.