WAILUKU — Striking workers at three Maui County hospitals have until Saturday to cast their votes on an agreement between Maui Health and the United Public Workers union that could put them back to work or keep them on the picket lines.

The three-year offer, hammered out during lengthy discussions on Tuesday, includes pay increases and one-time bonuses for all UPW employees and longtime workers, according to Maui Health.

“Tension is high and we’re all hoping for the best,” strike captain and general maintenance worker Leonard Rodrigues Jr. said outside Maui Memorial Medical Center on Thursday, the start of the three-day voting period. “We just have to see what happens. At the end of the day it comes to a vote.”

If workers reject the agreement, “then we will continue to fight,” he said. “If it goes the other way, then we’ll lace our boots and go back to work.”

Maui Health said the proposal addresses some of the key union concerns over wages and recognition of longevity.

“We are optimistic that this agreement will be approved, and look forward to all Maui Health employees returning to work,” Maui Health said in a statement on Wednesday. “The result of the union’s ratification vote is expected no later than Monday, March 20.”

According to Maui Health, the offer includes:

• An average 8.9 percent pay increase to all job classifications in the first year, and additional across-the-board pay increases in each of the remaining years, along with evening and night shift differential increases.

• A one-time cash bonus of $1,500 for all UPW-represented employees.

• One-time longevity payments for UPW-represented employees of $1,000 for those with 15 or more years of service and $500 for those with seven to 14 years of service.

• Additional noneconomic items, including rotational involuntary overtime, flu prevention and participation in the Labor/Management Committee.

It’s the fourth time during contract renewal talks that the two sides have reached an agreement and put it out to vote by the nearly 500 employees represented by UPW at Maui Memorial, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital.

UPW said Thursday that “members are reviewing the latest ‘last best final offer’ from the employer today through Saturday.” The union did not immediately respond to questions about how many workers on Maui and Lanai would benefit from the longevity payments and whether the union has a strike fund to help workers currently on the picket lines.

Rodrigues said “it’s a lot of mixed emotions” as workers mull the agreement.

“We have a lot of multiple departments that run different ways, and we have to go as a union and see what’s best for all,” he said.

Being on strike for nearly a month is “definitely humbling and balancing,” he said. The morale, however, “has been strong and great,” and striking workers who normally wouldn’t have crossed paths in the hospital have now become like family.

“You feel blessed in a sense that everybody is going through it, but we’re still holding on strong. The morale is up and we have each other’s backs,” Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues isn’t looking for extra jobs at the moment, but said if the strike continues for longer, he may have to.

“We’re going to have to consider that,” he said. “Life still goes on. We still have to make our sacrifices. We have to readjust our life. We have to rotate things, you know, we have a lot of single parents out here that are here from day one, and they’re still going on strong.”

Both Rodrigues and Maui Health thanked the community for their patience during the strike.

“Maui Health employees and physicians are continuing to work tirelessly to ensure a safe and clean environment for our patients, visitors, employees, and providers,” the hospital management said. “We are continuing to staff all affected areas as needed, in part by bringing in qualified staff from wherever we can find them. We are sincerely grateful for our community’s patience and support.”

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.