Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children and some 600 registered nurses represented by the Hawaii Nurses Association have agreed on a new three-year contract that includes across-the-board raises, longevity pay increases and a new matrix that will provide more flexible staffing levels. 

What You Need To Know

  • The two sides reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday and voted to ratify the contract on Wednesday
  • Under the new agreement, nurses will receive raises that average 3.5% annually over the next four years and longevity pay increases for RNs with five, 10 and 15 years of experience at the facility
  • The new contract includes the introduction of a “staffing and acuity” tool that will help determine scheduling needs for each unit based on the changing health care needs of patients and the establishment of a staffing council made up of nurses and nurse leaders that will meet monthly to work on staffing issues and review the staffing matrix annually
  • The agreement brings to a close more than a year of often contentious negotiations that included two strikes and a weeks-long lockout that will end when nurses return to work on Sunday

The two sides reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday and voted to ratify the contract on Wednesday. 

“We are pleased our nurses voted in favor of this contract,” said Kapiolani CEO Gidget Ruscetta. “Fixed ratios are not the answer. As a result of our collaborative efforts in negotiations, our nurses will now be a part of the staffing process so we can all work together to adjust to our patients’ needs. With these agreed upon flexible staffing levels, we can focus on our patients and the ever-changing needs in our medical center.” 

Under the new agreement, nurses will receive raises that average 3.5% annually over the next four years and longevity pay increases for RNs with five, 10 and 15 years of experience at the facility.

The nurses had previously identified unmanageable nurse-patient ratios as a key concern. To address these concerns, the new contract includes the introduction of a “staffing and acuity” tool that will help determine scheduling needs for each unit based on the changing health care needs of patients and the establishment of a staffing council made up of nurses and nurse leaders that will meet monthly to work on staffing issues and review the staffing matrix annually.

The hospital has also committed to ongoing recruitment and retention programs.

The agreement brings to a close more than a year of often contentious negotiations that included two strikes and a weeks-long lockout that will end when nurses return to work on Sunday.

“This has been an emotional process for all of us at Kapiolani, and we are ready to move forward, together.” Ruscetta said.