Nurses at St. Francis Medical Center are set to strike Monday. Strike looms as talks break off
between nurses and St. Francis
Star-Bulletin staff
Talks between the hospital and the Hawaii Nurses Association broke off last night after a seven-hour negotiating session, said Scott Foster, spokesman for the union.
"Our best and final offer had not been accepted," said St. Francis spokeswoman Maggie Jarrett.
"The nurse negotiators will not be taking this offer back to the membership because it does not meet their clear priorities for safe patient care and retention of experienced nurses," Sue Scheider, director of the HNA collective-bargaining organization, said in a news release last night.
Scheider said the nurses asked for a three-year contract with a 2 percent wage increase in the first year, but St. Francis offered a one-year contract with a 4 percent increase without addressing safe-staffing issues. Safe staffing refers to the ratio of nurses to patients, according to the union.
No new talks are scheduled with St. Francis before Monday's strike deadline.
HNA meets with Kuakini Medical Center today, Kaiser Foundation Hospital tomorrow and Queen's Medical Center and Kapiolani Medical Center on Friday.
HNA represents more than 2,500 nurses.
Hawaii Nurses Association
