Unionized nurses at Wilcox Memorial Hospital on Kauai ratified a new three-year contract that maintains a provision for workers and management to review and assess nurse-to-patient ratios.

“The employer’s goal was clearly to get a concessionary contract out of our nurses at Wilcox Memorial, and the negotiating team fought long and hard to keep their contractual language intact,” said HNA Executive Director Patt Gibbs.
About 80 percent of the hospital’s 130 nurses voted to ratify the contract in voting that concluded yesterday. The agreement retroactively takes effect June 1.
Provisions in the contract maintain the status quo on wages and a health care plan that includes vision and dental coverage. The contract also continues the Patient Classification System, which is used to determine staffing levels. The PCS will be reviewed and assessed within four months, with an recommendations being made to the hospital’s chief executive officer.