Nurses on strike at three Oahu hospitals said yesterday their gripes are more about inadequate staffing and being forced to work overtime than they are about pay levels. Nurses say staffing
is key hang-upThey contend that quality of care,
not higher pay, is at riskBy Russ Lynch
rlynch@starbulletin.comIn a boisterous news conference at the Hawaii Nurses Association union headquarters at 677 Ala Moana, employees of Queen's, Kuakini and St. Francis hospitals said patient care suffers when nurses are overworked.
Management of at least one hospital disputed the striking nurses' assertions.
David Haga, an intensive-care unit nurse at Kuakini, said forced overtime and an increased patient load are management ploys to trim the work force without consultation with the union.
Speakers were applauded loudly as the nurses presented their arguments to the television cameras.
Nurses at Kuakini and St. Francis started striking on Dec. 2, followed the next day by colleagues at Queen's. In all, about 1,400 nurses are off their jobs.
Several nurses said the issues are not about pay, but about their ability to give good care to patients.
Lynn Kenton, a spokeswoman for Queen's, said that seems to be a shift from what the nurses were saying in negotiations. She also said overtime is not as big a problem as the nurses are painting it.
Queen's Medical Center's average use of employees on overtime is one-fourth the national average and one-third the California average and has dropped steadily, she said.
Talks are planned between the HNA and Queen's on Monday.
A federal mediator involved in the negotiations also has asked Kuakini management to show up for a 9 a.m. meeting Monday, according to spokeswoman Donda Spiker.
HNA issued a news release confirming the two parties would be returning to the table to resolve outstanding issues.
There are no talks scheduled between the union and St. Francis, according to the HNA.
St. Francis Healthcare System
Queen's Medical Center
Kuakini Health System