St. Francis willing to resume negotiations

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

St. Francis Medical Center today said it was willing to return to the bargaining table to try to resolve a seven-week strike by the facility’s registered nurses.

St. Francis officials issued issued a statement regarding negotiations after union officials said at a press conference today that nearly one-third of the hospital’s striking nurses will resign permanently if no new negotiations take place by next week.

Negotiators for the Hawai‘i Nurses’ Association said 106 full-time registered nurses have signed a letter saying they will resign permanently.

Nurses said that they are frustrated that they have heard so little from their managers and have been offered only a maximum of a one-year contract with a 4 percent raise, while other local hospitals have agreed to three-year contracts with raises that total 20 to 21 percent. Nurses striking at two other hospitals have announced agreements.

St. Francis Executive Officer Sister Beatrice Tom issued a statement saying she is “eager to begin the healing process of reuniting the nurses with the rest of the staff so the organization can fully resume its mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to the community.”

Last week, St. Francis’ striking nurses countered the hospital’s wage offer with a three-year proposal with wage increases of 4 percent, 7 percent and 8 percent. At the time, hospital spokeswoman Maggie Jarrett called that “outside of St. Francis’ financial means.”

Each hospital negotiates separately with the nurses union and has different salary schedules. Nurses at the three hospitals earn $20.55 an hour up to as much as $38.86 an hour, which translates to an annual salary, before overtime, ranging from $42,744 to $80,829..