Posted at 12:29 p.m., Thursday, December 12, 2002
Queen's nurses offer proposals
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
Some 1,400 nurses who are members of the Hawai'i Nurses Association continued the second week of a strike today against three of the state's largest hospitals: Queen's, Kuakini Medical Center, and St. Francis Medical Center.
Caroldean Kahue, Queen's chief negotiator, said she notified federal mediator Ken Kawamoto yesterday that the union has a counterproposal and heard back from him this morning that talks could begin next week.
"Possibly, we're looking at returning to the table on Monday," Kahue said.
Queen's said it had not been contacted by the mediator yet but hopes to return to the bargaining table soon.
Both sides have said that the issues keeping them apart center on working conditions. About 600 nurses at Kuakini and St. Francis went on strike Dec. 1; 800 at Queen's began striking Dec. 2.
