Posted on: Saturday, May 10, 2003

Wahiawa nurse strike nears end of 1st week

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

About 60 registered nurses at Wahiawa General Hospital are nearing the end of the first week of their strike, with the hospital offering limited service during the labor dispute.

Some Central O'ahu and North Shore residents may find themselves postponing elective surgery or having babies at other hospitals as the strike continues at the 162-bed hospital, with no negotiations scheduled.

The nurses are represented by the Hawai'i Nurses' Association.

Hospital spokesman Richard Aea said nurse managers are filling in for the striking nurses but that some services have been cut back.

Aea said six nurses crossed the picket line yesterday.

Scott Foster, a spokesman for the nurses union, said negotiators last week sent a letter to the federal mediator saying they are ready to go back to the bargaining table.

But Aea said he believes that the negotiations are stalled by what he called "a cooling-off period" of eight to 10 days.

Foster said he knew of no such period and that the union believed that no negotiations were being scheduled because the assigned mediator was out of town.

Lindsay Evans, a Wahiawa psychiatric nurse, said he believes union members are eager to discuss the remaining issues and work out an agreement.

"If we both give a little bit, I think we could come up with something soon," Evans said. "My people want to get back to work."

Aea said the hospital is handling more services and even delivered a healthy baby yesterday.

"We're still open and still serving the community," he said.

In December, nearly 1,400 nurses at three major Honolulu hospitals went on strike for nearly six weeks.