Kuai (KHON2) — Three Hawaii Hospitals are being put on notice. Their nurses may go on strike. They’re not walking off the job yet, and the hospitals said they’re hoping for a resolution.
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More than 75% of nurses at Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai voted in favor of authorizing a strike on Wednesday.
“The guilt that you have when you’re not able to provide the care that you want to provide, that’s huge,” stated Natalie Arriola, a Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Nurse at WIlcox. “It might seem like we’re making more money, but when you put it into perspective with the cost of living, we’re actually the 49th out of all the states. We’re at the lowest.”
The nurses will have 30 days to make a decision on a strike.
“We are disappointed in the Hawaii Nurses’ Association’s decision. We are focused on the negotiations set for Jan. 9 and 10, and remain committed to reaching an agreement…”
Wilcox Medical Center
Nurses like Arriola stated patients are having to wait longer for treatment due to a lack of nurses. Additionally, healthcare officials said work conditions and cost of living have resulted in low retention.
“They don’t stay,” stated Arriola. “They don’t like what’s happening here. They see how hospitals are run on the mainland and they know that they could be run a lot better and more safely and then they leave because they’re like, it’s not worth it to stay.”
On Oahu, nurses at Queen’s Medical Center also voted in favor of a strike.
The Queen’s Medical Center remains committed to reaching an agreement with HNA. We do not want a strike and remain hopeful a contract that both Queen’s and our nurses can be proud of can be reached.
Queen’s Medical Center
The Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) continues working with the legislature to help pay off debts for healthcare workers.
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“We are working with the governor to support his ask for an additional 15 million for each of the next two years,” said Hilton Raethel, HAH President & CEO.
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