Wahiawa nurses’ strike
continues as talks stall
Negotiations for 60 registered nurses who have been on strike at Wahiawa General Hospital for more than seven weeks have once again reached a stalemate.
The nurses met with management Thursday, but no agreement was reached, according to the Hawaii Nurses Association.
Ella Siroskey, communications coordinator for the striking nurses, said all but six of the striking nurses have found part- or full-time jobs elsewhere.
"So far we have been holding on, hoping we will be able to return to care for the community we love, with a contract that will keep nurses here," Siroskey said in a statement.
Management has offered the nurses a 19 percent pay raise over three years.
But the nurses say the offer does not address retiree benefits, increased pay to reward longtime employees and safety concerns related to staffing.
Dr. Edmund Whang, chairman of the hospital's board and acting hospital administrator, has said the hospital cannot afford to offer some of the benefits the nurses are asking for, such as retiree medical benefits.
Increased health care costs, declining reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid, and a large population of elderly and indigent patients have resulted in financial losses for the hospital every year for the past few years, Whang said.