Nearly six months after their last contract expired, Queen’s Medical Center nurses are voting on whether to authorize a strike to break the current deadlock on a new three-year pact.

“We began our discussions at the bargaining table with the hospital’s management well before the contract expired,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, president of the Hawaii Nurses’ Association. “Unfortunately, there has been no progress on the issues that are most important to us: safe nurse-to-patient staffing levels and competitive compensation to retain experienced nurses.” 

Electronic voting for some 1,900 nurses at QMC’s Punchbowl and West Oahu facilities began on Thursday and will remain open until Dec. 31.

The nurses have been working without a contract since June 30.

HNA has accused QMC of unfair labor practices and negotiating in bad faith. QMC maintains that is has bargained fairly and remains committed to reaching a new agreement.

“We hoped Queen’s would have learned from the hard lessons experienced by Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children,” Agas-Yuu said, referencing the labor impasse between Kapiolani and some 600 nurses that included two limited nurses strikes and a lockout before being resolved in October.

“Queen’s is the only designated Level 1 Trauma Center in the state and operates the only emergency department to serve west and central Oahu,” Agas-Yuu said. “A strike at Queen’s poses much greater risk to the community. No one wants a strike, but many of the nurses feel this is the only way to be heard and to motivate CEO Jason Chang and the hospital’s leaders to take action to create a safer environment for Hawaii patients.”

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