The Maui News

Wailuku–The nurses of Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children have voted in favor of striking over what they are saying are unfair labor practices.

An online vote held this Labor Day weekend showed an overwhelming majority of the nurses are in favor of a strike to protest unfair labor practices by the hospital’s management.

The nurses, in collaboration with the Hawai’i Nurses’ Association (HNA), the union that represents them, will now determine the date and duration of the strike. Once the details of the strike are finalized, HNA will give Kapi’olani management a 10-day advance notification, as required by law.

“The sentiment and frustration level of the nurses came through loud and clear in the vote,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, HNA president. “The retaliation for speaking the truth and exposing unsafe staffing issues has become unbearable. We will not be silenced. The strike will expose Hawai’i Pacific Health’s unfair labor practices and culture of retaliation, intimidation and bullying to all in the community.”

This will be the second strike by the 600 Kapiolani nurses this year. The first strike was held for one-week period for unfair labor practices from Jan. 21 to 28, 2024. Negotiations for a new contract, which began Sept. 13, 2023, will reach the one-year mark this month.

The voting window began on Friday, Aug. 30, at 10 a.m. and closed today, Sunday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m.

Over the Labor Day weekend, an overwhelming majority of Kapi’olani’s nurses voted to authorize a strike because of unfair labor practices and set a date for the strike. Today, the Hawai’i Nurses’ Association (HNA) provided the required 10-day notice to Kapi’olani’s hospital management that the nurses will go on strike all day on Friday, Sept. 13.

“With a straight face, Kapi’olani’s management publicly claims they value their nurses and want to reach an agreement, but their actions belie their words,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, HNA president. “Contrary to what they say publicly, they have created a culture of retaliation, intimidation and bullying that has adversely impacted open communications and impeded negotiations. Based on this ongoing pattern of unfair labor practices, the nurses are not confident our next scheduled negotiations session this Thursday will be any different.”

“Women who may be superstitious and concerned about ominous events on Friday the 13th may way want to reconsider their plans about giving birth or seeing their doctor at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children on that day,” a press release announcing the strike said.