Wilcox nurses to strike for 3 days this week

Nurses of Wilcox Medical Center in Līhuʻe will strike for 3 days this week.

The 159-member nursing team of the hospital, through the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association, notified Wilcox management Jan. 4 after voting to authorize a strike in a show of their disdain for rampant unfair labor practices.

Votes were cast from Dec. 29 through Jan. 1, and 76% of the nurses said yes to fight back against what they say is retaliation against union members advocacy for safe staffing and a fair contract.

They had up to 30 days to make their decision.

“Nurses and doctors are the backbone of our health care system, tirelessly advocating for the safety and well-being of every patient,” said registered nurse Belgica Heredia, who works at Wilcox. “Safe staffing ratios aren’t just a workplace issue, they’re a matter of life and health for our communities.”

The strike begins at 7 a.m. Tuesday, keeping with the legal requirement to give their employer 10 days advance notice, and continue until 6:59 a.m. Friday.

“The nurses at Wilcox have been fighting for safer nurse-to-patient staffing to deliver excellent care for the people of Kauaʻi,” said Hawaiʻi Nurses Association President Rosalee Agas-Yuu. “They should not be subject to retaliation because of their advocacy. Access to quality care is already very challenging on the neighbor islands.”

A number of labor practice complaints has been filed by the nurses union against Wilcox, a Hawaiʻi Pacific Health hospital, with the National Labor Relations Board.

Reasons range from unlawfully interfering with the rights of employees who request union representation and engaging in illegal discrimination to taking adverse actions against bargaining unit employees in retaliation for their participation in contract negotiations.

“Wilcox Medical Center has the ability to be a model employer and hospital for the people of Kauaʻi,” said Agas-Yuu. “Shouldnʻt nurses on Kauaʻi be able to advocate for patient safety and safe staffing ratios, like we have at Kapiʻolani Medical Center, without being bullied by Hawaiʻi Pacific Health? Our strike brings attention to this question, and we hope the Kauaʻi community joins us fighting for this health equity issue.”

The union claims heightened animosity toward nurses also increased coercive behavior and harassment by hospital management.

Another unfair labor practice was filed because off-duty nurses reportedly were prohibited from accessing their worksite to speak with their fellow union members and subjected to illegal threats and discrimination, violating their federally protected rights.

Wilcox Medical Center said after receiving the strike notice that it values and cares for its nurses because they are an integral part of the Wilcox team, but hoped for a different outcome.

“We are extremely disappointed by [the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association’s] decision to strike as we are so close to reaching an agreement,” said Wilcox Medical Center President and Chief Executive Officer Jen Chahanovich. “Our responsibility is to take care of our community and the people of Kauaʻi who depend on us. Wilcox will remain open and serve our patients as we always have.”

Wilcox has secured a temporary workforce of experienced nurses to ensure that patient services and hospital operations are not impacted during the 3-day strike.

The hospital said the two sides have spent 8 months and had 22 negotiating sessions, including recent sessions with a federal mediator, trying to hammer out a deal.

Wilcox presented an offer to the nurses similar to what the union agreed to at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, another Hawaiʻi Pacific Health facility, and includes items the union identified as priorities for Wilcox nurses.

It includes across-the-board wage increases that would increase nurse base salaries to $138,000 to $161,000 for a 3-day work week by the end of the contract.

The offer also includes a flexible staffing matrix based on national standards that aligns with Kapiʻolani’s and gives nurses a role in determining staffing for ever-evolving patient needs.

“For months, we have expressed to [the Hawaiʻi Nurses Association] that we are willing to negotiate in person as often as possible, for as long as it takes,” said Chahanovich. “We care for our nurses, and our offer reflects what they have asked for as well as what we believe is necessary to care for our neighbor island community.”

Chahanovich added that Wilcox is committed to reaching an agreement so the hospital’s nurses can benefit from a new contract as soon as possible, and both sides can focus on what matters most — caring for the Kaua‘i community together.

However, the nurses say Hawaiʻi Pacific Health continues to show disrespect by forcing them to work in unsafe staffing conditions.

The current practices at Wilcox also don’t address a changing and growing Kauaʻi, with an older and sicker population coming through the hospital’s emergency and operating rooms as well as inpatient units.

“Ultimately, the people who suffer the most are our patients,” said Jessi Dettle, a registered nurse who works at Wilcox. “This decision to strike is not being take lightly. We have to make the difficult choice to stand up to the bullies in [Hawaiʻi Pacific Health] administration for what is right for our communities and our families.”

Watch for coverage on Kauaʻi Now from the picket line later this week.