GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sue Scheider, director of collective bargaining for the Hawaii Nurses Association, was flanked by nurse negotiators Randi Pisani, left, and Cindy Guerin as they announced a tentative settlement between striking nurses and Wahiawa General Hospital last night.
Wahiawa Hospital,
nurses reach dealNurses could return to work
Sunday after striking since May 5
After 11 weeks on the picket line, striking nurses at Wahiawa General Hospital and management reached agreement last night on a contract.
More than 60 nurses from the facility have been on strike since May 5, and could return to their jobs as soon as Sunday.
"We're very excited, although we won't know how many of us will be returning since so many of us have taken positions at other hospitals," said intensive care nurse Ella Siroskey.
The three-year deal includes a 19 percent raise over the term, as well as a $1-an-hour longevity step for nurses with 10 years of service at Wahiawa.
"We were able to preserve the health insurance premiums at the current rates throughout the entire contract," said Sue Scheider, director of collective bargaining for the Hawaii Nurses Association.
In addition, the contract includes improved language on working conditions, health and safety issues, and mandatory overtime, Scheider said.
However, the pact leaves open-ended the question of hospital funding for nurse pensions, she said. The two sides agreed to discuss the issue over the coming months. If no agreement is reached by April, the contract can be reopened on that issue, Scheider said, and the deal's no-strike clause lifted. An arbitrator could also be used to help reach agreement.
The two sides reconvened at 7 p.m. yesterday to put the final touches on the contract after negotiating for most of the day. The agreement was reached half an hour later and negotiators turned to ironing out details of a return-to-work agreement for the nurses, said Scheider. The two sides were still talking at press time.
The union hoped to present the contract and the return-to-work agreement to the full union membership tomorrow, Scheider said.
Contracts for traveling nurses employed by the hospital end Saturday, Scheider said, so the nurses hope to return the following day. Until the contract is ratified, the nurses will maintain their picket line.
The two sides began talking July 3 after weeks of little movement. Scheider said the recent direct involvement of hospital board members helped re-energize the talks and get the process moving.
Nurses and management remained far apart for most of the strike, with the two sides meeting only when called together by a federal mediator. Major sticking points included salary, employee contributions to health insurance premiums, retention pay for experienced nurses, access to retiree benefits and safety concerns relating to staffing.
Nurses wanted a package that would be competitive with Queen's, Kuakini and St. Francis medical centers, which settled with their nurses in January. Nearly 1,400 nurses at the three facilities went on strike in early December.
