LIHUE — On Saturday, the Wilcox Medical Center received a strike notice representing approximately 160 registered nurses from the Hawaii Nurses’ Association.
Wilcox responded by saying, “We value and care for our nurses because they are an integral part of the Wilcox team. As we continue to work toward an agreement, Wilcox will remain open to provide consistent high-quality care for our community.”
According to a press release, Wilcox remains committed to reaching an agreement with its nurses as soon as possible so they can benefit from a new contract. Negotiation sessions are currently scheduled for Thursday and Friday. Additionally, Wilcox is willing to meet before those dates.
“We are extremely disappointed by HNA’s decision to strike as we are so close to reaching an agreement,” said Jen Chahanovich, Wilcox president and CEO. “Our responsibility is to take care of our community and the people of Kauai who depend on us. Wilcox will remain open and serve our patients as we always have.”
According to the HNA notice, the strike at Wilcox will start at 7 a.m. on Jan. 14, and end at 6:59 a.m. on Jan. 17.
During this time, Wilcox has secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses to ensure that patient services and hospital operations are not impacted.
The strike notice comes following eight months and 22 negotiating sessions, including recent sessions with a federal mediator.
“For months, we have expressed to HNA that we are willing to negotiate in person as often as possible, for as long as it takes,” Chahanovich said. “As we are close to reaching an agreement, we’ve told HNA that we are willing to meet even before our next scheduled negotiations on Jan. 9 and 10. We have based many of our proposals on the contract HNA accepted at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, with some adjustments for the unique needs of Kauai.”
Wilcox has presented an offer to HNA that is similar to what the union agreed to at Kapiolani Medical Center and includes items the union identified as priorities for Wilcox nurses.
The current offer includes across-the-board wage increases that would bring nurses’ base salaries to $138,000 to $161,000 for a 3-day work week by the end of the contract. It also includes a flexible staffing matrix based on national standards that aligns with Kapiolani’s and gives nurses a role in determining staffing for ever-evolving patient needs, according to the press release.
“We care for our nurses, and our offer reflects what they have asked for as well as what we believe is necessary to care for our Neighbor Island community,” Chahanovich said. “We are committed to reaching an agreement so that our nurses can benefit from a new contract as soon as possible, and we can focus on what matters most of all — caring for our community, together.”
