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What brought you to Hawaii? Hawaii a new ballgame
for seasoned nurse negotiator
>> Job: Collective bargaining organization director for the Hawaii Nurses Association Sue Scheider
>> Hired: January 2002
I interviewed for the job here when they had a vacancy and it seemed like it was an excellent match based on my experience and what they needed for the position.
When did you get here?
I started January 10.
Where had you been working?
I was the District of Columbia Nurses Association senior labor counsel in Washington. I've been representing nurses for about 12 years.
Do the nurses here have different issues than those you've dealt with before?
There are some things that surprised me. In compensation, the two things that shocked me were the job rate pay system, where somebody reaches job rate at two years and doesn't really progress beyond that, and the absence of weekend differentials. Everywhere I've ever been on the mainland the employers realize those are prime shifts and nurses working them are compensated accordingly. Hawaii is probably about three years behind the mainland in terms of the acuity of the shortages and in terms of nurses leaving staff position to work for agencies where they have more control and aren't dealing with the same clinical demands. They may get more money and have more control over their schedules for easier work.
There's some sense the HNA is tacking a tougher stance now than in years past. Is that true?
I have heard that we were a lot better prepared than we have been in the past and that the nurses realized that there were issues that needed to be addressed. From the day I got here we were preparing to deal with the big five (hospitals).
Are you playing hardball?
The HNA is playing hardball with patient safety and that's what is manifesting itself in the strike. There are many nurses that wanted to push hard on wanting to make sure that we secured these issues. We've known this could lead to a strike. Members have prepared for this, some even saved for a possible strike.
Are Hawaii hospital administrators any different than those you are used to dealing with?
Never before have I negotiated through an employers association. All five of the big five are represented by the Hawaii Employers Council. I have some questions about whether there's more information shared than is proper between employers about their nurses.
If there is a nationwide nursing shortage, how is it possible to bring so many RNs in from the mainland?
Because hospitals pay outrageously. Staff nurses earn about $30 an hour. We've heard the travelers here are getting $90 and the agencies that supply them are getting about $150 hour. It's costing the hospitals an enormous amount of money.
Why were Kaiser and Kapiolani easier to come to terms with than Queen's, Kuakini and St. Francis?
Kaiser in particular listened to the priorities the nurses told them they needed to achieve in the contract. There were five major issues and we made progress on all five. It's a matter of listening to what the nurses say they need to have. We also made progress in those areas at Kapiolani, but that was a closer call. This is not about wages. It's over keeping enough nurses there at the bedside and having safe patient care.
Is St. Francis, with its financial problems, a special case?
Wages and staffing positions are an issue there. Their contract proposal is not competitive with other area hospitals. Nurses are leaving and will continue to leave. And they will not be able to recruit replacements. The nurses are not trying to kill the hospital, they are trying to save the hospital. Hospitals were established to provide 24-hour nursing care. If they can't keep nurses there, they're not going to keep the hospital open. So they need to have a competitive contract. The hospital may be in trouble, but our analysis shows the system is healthy. Over the years there's been a back and forth of resources between the system and the hospital. It's time for the system to cover the hospital.
Is it preferable to deal with a batch of contracts at once like this?
Yes and no. It is very difficult from a resource and time and attention perspective to deal with five hospitals at once. It is good to deal with five hospitals at once from a power of the nurses perspective. The big five negotiations set the standard in every cycle.
What's your next major task after these three outstanding contracts are settled?
We have between seven and 10 contracts to negotiate next year. So it's not like we get to take a vacation.
Inside Hawaii Inc. is a conversation with a member of the Hawaii business community who has changed jobs, been elected to a board or been recognized for accomplishments. Send questions and comments to business@starbulletin.com.
