David Kvasnicka, Maui Now, May 16, 2011 Nurses from Maui Memorial Medical Center took the opportunity to argue their case over pay with Governor Abercrombie at the MACC yesterday. The “Conversation with the Governor” event at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center was moderated by Tom Rodriguez-Blackburn and offered residents the opportunity to submit questions. While all other Hawaii Government Employee Association (HGEA) members have agreed to cuts to pay and benefits, HGEA nurses have not. ... Abercrombie

Melissa Tanji, Maui News, May 16, 2011 Kahului- Governor Neil Abercrombie said the state cannot agree to pay more money to Maui Memorial Medical Center nurses because it is in a "fiscal crisis." "Every public employee is already sacrificing," he said Sunday during a talk-story session for Maui residents at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's McCoy Studio Theater. Abercrombie was responding to a question posed by a Maui Memorial nurse ... Abercrombie

Maui News, April 28, 2011 More than 100 nurses from Maui Memorial Medical Center rallied last week to protest terms of a new contract with the state. They are concerned about the continuation of pay cuts imposed two years ago, and additional cuts in benefits. The growing disparity between what a nurse makes at the hospital and what one can make at a private hospital, or on the Mainland, is damaging the hospital, said Barbara Duarte, an operating room nurse and union steward of the operating room group for the nurses represented by the Hawai‘i Government Employee Association. Each group within the hospital is affected somewhat differently, she said, but the inability to attract or retain nurses is delaying the hospital’s development of new programs, such as open-heart surgery.

Nurses Say They Are Paid 30%-50% Less Than Private Sector. Keoki Kerr, KITV4 News, April 27, 2011 Honolulu - Public hospital nurses in Hawaii said they rejected a proposal for 5 percent pay cuts because they are already woefully underpaid compared to the private sector. The nurses said they worry state medical facilities will lose more experienced nurses to better paying jobs at private hospitals and medical facilities. Monday, the nurses in Hawaii Government Employees Association’s bargaining unit nine rejected a contract that called for 5 percent wage cuts and no step pay increases for experienced nurses. Those nurses, like most other state and county employees, have already endured two years of wage reductions. ... Why

Hawaii News Now, April 27, 2011 Honolulu - Registered professional nurses in the Hawaii Government Employees Association failed to ratify a new contract offer. Their bargaining unit is the only one from HGEA that rejected the deal. Unit 9 is made up of 1,561 nurses. They work at state-run facilities that provide acute nursing home and rural health care services. HGEA's executive director said their wages are not competitive and are "woefully behind the private sector." ... HGEA

Andrew Pereira, KHON, April 26, 2011 Honolulu - The head of the Hawaii Government Employees Association unit that represents registered professional nurses is prepared for binding arbitration after a contract proposal was shot down 509 to 392. Results of the voting that began April 18 were announced Monday evening. “I wasn't real surprised,” said HGEA Unit 9 Director Sue Kaulukukui. “I knew a lot of the nurses had a lot of issues. Unit 9 was the only HGEA bargaining unit to reject a two year offer that ends furloughs and increases time off but also raises the cost of health benefits and institutes a 5 percent pay cut. ... HGEA

Leila Fujimori, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 26, 2011 Six of seven bargaining units of the state's largest public-sector labor union yesterday ratified a new two-year contract that will mean a 5 percent pay cut, an increase in their health care premium payments and an increase in time off. But the 1,561-member Unit 9 of registered professional nurses rejected the proposed contract in a 509-392 vote. The split vote does not affect the ratification of the contract by each of the other bargaining units, Hawaii Government Employees Association spokes­woman Jodi Endo Chai said. ... Nurses

Harry Eagar, Maui News, April 19, 2011 More than 100 nurses from Maui Memorial Medical Center rallied Monday and plan to gather again Thursday to protest terms of a new contract with the state. They are concerned about the continuation of pay cuts imposed two years ago, with new cuts in benefits on top. The growing disparity between what a nurse makes at the hospital and what one can make at a private hospital, or on the Mainland, is damaging the hospital, said Barbara Duarte, an operating room nurse and union steward of the operating room group for the nurses represented by the Hawaii Government Employee Association. ... MMMC

Pacific Business News (Honolulu), May 24, 2010 Registered nurses with the Hospice of Hilo on the Big Island have joined the Hawaii Nurses’ Association. The National Labor Relations Board certified the election May 12, HNA officials said Monday. The private nonprofit Hospice of Hilo employs nine nurses, according to Executive Director Brenda Ho. Established in 1983, it offers end-of-life or palliative care, bereavement services, counseling and advance directives planning to patients and families in north and south Hilo, Puna and Kau on the Big Island’s east side. ... Hospice

Pacific Business News (Honolulu), October 14, 2009 The Hawaii Nurses Association and North Hawaii Community Hospital have reached a tentative agreement on their first contract. Approximately 85 registered nurses at the Big Island hospital joined the union more than a year ago. Details of the new three-year agreement, which would be effective until September 30, 2012, were not disclosed. The hospital’s board of directors will review the agreement at its next meeting in November and the nurses still have to ratify it. The Hawaii Nurses Association represents approximately 4,000 registered nurses statewide. The private, nonprofit North Hawaii Community Hospital, located in Waimea, is managed by Texas-based Quorum Health Resources.

Pacific Business News (Honolulu), May 11, 2009 The Hawaii Nurses’ Association will establish a new nonprofit foundation called Rescue, which will offer financial help to nurses dealing with serious illness, injury or disability. The foundation, which will be managed entirely by the volunteer organization Nurses for Nurses, will be funded through donations and fundraising events. Rescue was formed after the nurses union saw many of its members with serious illnesses overwhelmed with medical bills after the funds from insurance and other sources ran out, the Hawaii Nurses’ Association said on Monday. ... Hawaii

Ken Kobayashi & Susan Essoyan, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, June 23, 2008 State law requires intermediate-care facilities for the mentally retarded with more than 15 beds to have full-time nurses on staff. Opportunities for the Retarded Inc. has 35 beds for patients who need that level of care, but there are no nurses on the staff. That is because each of the seven homes on its property is classified as a separate facility, although all services - from meals to rehabilitation - are provided centrally. ORI contracts with medical personnel to come in to provide health care. By contrast, the Arc in Hawaii employs three full-time nurses for its clients ... State

Charlotte Woolard, The Garden Island, December 31, 2006 Nurses walked out of Wilcox Memorial Hospital after contract negotiations broke down, setting up a picket line on June 24 that would last 126 days - longer than any other strike at the facility. Politicians, community members and union leaders paced the line with nurses, who called for the revision of the system by which the hospital determined staffing at the facility. The hospital stood its ground, with spokeswoman Lani Yukimura saying the staffing system met the needs of its patients. ... Retrospective

An official says no physicians will lose their jobs as part of the restructuring. Dave Segal, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, November 3, 2006 Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, unable to bridge the growing gap between its budget and expenses, plans to lay off up to 50 employees before the end of the year as part of a statewide restructuring. Hawaii's largest health-maintenance organization also warned its employees in an internal memo Wednesday that it anticipates more restructuring and cost-cutting next year. Kaiser said it was conducting an in-depth analysis of its jobs and services to make sure it was meeting the needs of its 225,000 members. ... Kaiser

Nurses head back to work next weekend. Charlotte Woolard, Garden Island, October 28, 2006 Nurses accepted the latest contract offer from Wilcox Memorial Hospital, ending a 126-day strike with a decisive vote that will have union members back at work as early as next Saturday, officials announced yesterday. “We’re really happy to be welcoming them back to work,” Lani Yukimura, Wilcox spokeswoman, said. Nurses said they looked forward to returning to work but fell short of a full endorsement of the contract. ... Nurses