Fri Sep 13 02:56:00 UTC 2024: ## Kapi’olani Nurses Strike After Contract Talks Fail, Hospital to Impose Lockout
**HONOLULU** – A planned one-day strike by nurses at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children will go ahead on Friday after negotiations with hospital management failed to produce a new contract. The Hawaii Nurses’ Association (HNA) and the hospital held another round of talks on Thursday in a last-ditch effort to avert the strike and subsequent lockout.
The HNA has stated that the strike is an “unfair labor practice” strike, protesting what they see as retaliation by the hospital for reporting unsafe staffing conditions. Kapi’olani management denies any retaliation, maintaining a strong policy against such actions.
The HNA, representing approximately 600 nurses, had notified Kapi’olani of their intention to strike on September 3rd. In response, hospital executives announced a lockout, aiming to encourage the acceptance of their “fair and generous offer.”
“This is a sad day for Hawaii,” said HNA President Rosalee Agas-Yuu in a statement. “Kapi’olani knows they are the only specialty hospital for women and children in our state and the Pacific. They know children and families count on their services, yet the hospital’s leaders have chosen to lock out the nurses for advocating for safe staffing standards to improve patient care.”
Agas-Yuu also highlighted that Kapi’olani possesses ample resources to increase nurse staffing levels but has opted to invest in temporary travel nurses instead. These nurses, according to the HNA, lack the experience and cultural competence of the hospital’s permanent staff.
Kapi’olani Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta has assured the public that the hospital will bring in a temporary workforce and remain fully staffed during the labor dispute. “We are extremely disappointed that the Hawai‘i Nurses’ Association decided to end talks early, which will lead to a strike and lockout for our nurses,” Ruscetta stated.
The HNA has filed an injunction with the National Labor Relations Board to stop the lockout. However, a decision on the injunction is not expected before Friday. The nurses have been working without a contract since December 1st, marking one year since negotiations commenced.
First Piper 