Moloka'i nurses will return to work without contract
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
The five nurses on strike at Moloka'i General Hospital have agreed to return to work without the pay raises that led them to walk off the job five weeks ago.
The registered nurses yesterday rejected an offer by Honolulu-based Queen's Health Systems, which operates the 30-bed hospital, saying they will report for duty Sunday without a contract.
Edwin Mendija of Kaunakakai, a nurse at Moloka'i General for four years, said small donations from relatives and the community helped sustain his family during the period he went without pay. He said it was tough to make ends meet, especially since his wife stays at home to watch their three children, aged 7, 6 and 4.
Mendija does not consider the walkout a failure, since he and the other nurses were able to conduct petition drives and other efforts to educate the public about hospital wages, staff cuts and other concerns.
He called management's final offer of a $500 bonus and a 2 percent raise a "slap in the face," even though the nurses initially had asked for only a $350 bonus and a 1 percent pay increase.
The offer rejected yesterday failed to address the nurses' grievance that alleges management had received a pay raise while the nurses had not, a violation of their collective bargaining agreement.
"It's a matter of principle," Mendija said. "We don't want management of any place that breaks contracts."
The grievance will be pursued through arbitration, said Nancy McGuckin of the Hawai'i Nurses' Association. She said negotiations with management over wage issues will continue.
Dr. Emmett Aluli, co-medical director at Moloka'i General, said the striking nurses will be welcomed back "with open arms." He said the hospital survived the nurses' absence without a major crisis and even celebrated the safe delivery of twins.
As far as the merits of the nurses' grievance, "everybody has their opinion," Aluli said.
Five of the hospital's six registered nurses walked off the job May 12.
The Hawai'i Nurses Association said the Moloka'i nurses have not received a pay increase in more than three years. They are the lowest paid in the state, making $25.10 an hour, or about $3 less than their counterparts at the Queen's Medical Center.
