HONOLULU, Hawaii — Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children agreed over the weekend to extend medical, dental and vision benefits to its locked-out nurses beyond Monday conditional on the nurses abiding by the terms the hospital set forth for ongoing negotiations. 

What You Need To Know

  • The two sides resumed talks with the help of federal mediators on Monday. They had met for three consecutive days before taking a day off on Sunday
  • As part of its agreement with Kapiolani, the union, which represents some 600 registered nurses at the facility, agreed to maintain participation with the federal mediator during “ongoing and productive” negotiations and negotiate in good faith during the process
  • Continued health care coverage for the nurses is also conditional on HNA not disrupting access to the facility by employees, temporary workers, vendors or visitors or otherwise disrupt patient access and services
  • Registered nurses represented by the Hawaii Nurses Association have been working in Kapiolani without a contract since last November

The two sides resumed talks with the help of federal mediators on Monday. They had met for three consecutive days before taking a day off on Sunday.

As part of its agreement with Kapiolani, the union, which represents some 600 registered nurses at the facility, agreed to maintain participation with the federal mediator during “ongoing and productive” negotiations and negotiate in good faith during the process. Continued health care coverage for the nurses is also conditional on HNA not disrupting access to the facility by employees, temporary workers, vendors or visitors, or otherwise disrupting patient access and services.

Registered nurses represented by the Hawaii Nurses Association have been working in Kapiolani without a contract since last November. They staged a one-week strike in January and another one-day strike on Sept. 13.

Following the one-day strike, Kapiolani made good on its threat to lock out the nurses until HNA unconditionally accepts Kapiolani’s offer. In addition to higher wages, the nurses have been calling for improved staffing ratios, better working conditions (including breaks and paid time off) and “sustainable jobs.”

The hospital’s last reported offer included across-the-board raises that would make the RNs among the highest paid the state; enhanced benefits, bonuses and incentive pay; a staffing matrix that provides the ability to adjust based on the individual conditions and needs of patients; a staffing council of nursing leaders and staff nurses that would enforce the staffing matrix; and “innovative ways to provide registered nurses transparency and opportunities to participate in setting their schedules, as well as a role and a voice in the staffing process.”

While the nurses are locked out, the hospital has relied on replacement travel nurses to meet its staffing needs. According to the union, the situation has adversely affected patient care.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.