Nurses to strike on Friday at Kapiʻolani Medical Center

HONOLULU (KHON2) — For the second time this year, nurses at the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children are set to strike.

The union that represents 600 Kapiʻolani nurses provided notice to hospital management of their intention to go on strike at 7 a.m. Friday and end at 6:59 a.m. Saturday for, what they said are, unfair labor practices.

Hospital management said they have “secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses to fulfill its commitment to the community.”

Nurses previously said they were “assigned too many patients to ensure adequate care and attention to patients at the bedside” and that they have faced retaliation for documenting unsafe staffing conditions and patient safety concerns.

“With a straight face, Kapi‘olani’s management publicly claims they value their nurses and want to reach an agreement, but their actions belie their words,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, HNA president. “Contrary to what they say publicly, they have created a culture of retaliation, intimidation and bullying that has adversely impacted open communications and impeded negotiations. Based on this ongoing pattern of unfair labor practices, the nurses are not confident our next scheduled negotiations session this Thursday will be any different.”

Hospital management said they presented a “fair and generous offer” and that they showed they wanted to reach an agreement.

“We are disappointed that HNA decided to go down this path again,” Gidget Ruscetta, RN, Kapi‘olani chief operating officer, said. “Despite receiving another strike notice eight months after the first strike, our commitment will always be to our patients and their families. We want our community to know that our doors will remain open. We will continue to care for the women and children in Hawai‘i and the Pacific region as we have for more than 100 years.”

The contract for registered nurses expired on Nov. 30, 2023 and negotiations for a new contract began nearly a year ago, on Sept. 13, 2023.