Posted on: Saturday, December 14, 2002
Kuakini nurse talks to resume
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
As nurses from three major O'ahu hospitals wrap up their second week on the picket lines, administrators at Kuakini Medical Center have joined officials at The Queen's Medical Center in resuming negotiations with the nurses union.
"We just got the call from the federal mediator," Donda Spiker, a spokeswoman for Kuakini Medical Center, said shortly after 6 last night. The two sides are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Monday, she said.
"We haven't been told whether (the nurses) have a counterproposal," Spiker said. "We have nothing else to offer."
Sue Scheider of the Hawaii Nurses Association said although the nurses have a counterproposal for Queen's when negotiations with that employer resume Monday afternoon, they have no formal proposal for Kuakini.
"We're going to see if we can work something out at the table," said Scheider, the union's director of collective bargaining.
No talks are scheduled for St. Francis Medical Center, but Scheider said the union and the hospital have recently completed a "patients first" agreement that will allow highly skilled nurses to cross the picket line in emergencies when no similarly skilled nurses are available.
"That's right," said Maggie Jarrett, a spokeswoman for St. Francis. "So we're OK for transplants now."
Scheider said she hoped that agreement would propel the nurses and St. Francis toward negotiations soon.
Meanwhile, the nearly 1,400 striking nurses from the three hospitals said yesterday that an increasing number of striking nurses are applying for new jobs on the Mainland and elsewhere.
"In the last two days, I've spoken to three or four who are doing that," said Jacqui Mitchell, a nurse at St. Francis. "We're nervous that when the strike is over, there won't be a staff to bring back."
"There are people with 20-year careers at Kuakini who are preparing to leave," said Kerry Lineham of Kuakini Medical Center. "The nurses will go where the patients get better care and the working conditions are better."
Several striking nurses, who asked not to be identified, said they had submitted applications to Kaiser, whose nurses ratified a new contract on Dec. 7. The recently approved Kaiser contract meets or made significant steps toward meeting nurses demands, nurses said.
"Since our contract was ratified," said Jan Kagehiro, a spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente, "we have seen a surge in applications."
The nurses spoke out yesterday at a news conference at Hawaii Nurses Association headquarters. About 50 nurses from Queen's, St. Francis and Kuakini discussed the issues that brought them to the picket line, as well as their concerns about the future.
Staffing levels and good working environments for nurses are issues that should concern the general public, the nurses said. Benefit programs that attract and keep experienced and loyal nurses in Hawai'i are also beneficial to the public.
"We're out on the picket line so that every single patient can get quality care," said Courtney Lin, a registered nurse at Queen's.
In response, Queen's spokeswoman Lynn Kenton said, "Our staffing meets or exceeds those recommended by the American Nurses Association."
Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
