Nurses Return to Work After Kapiolani Medical Center Strike

• Since it opened in 1890, Kapiolani Medical Center has been the only pediatric hospital and newborn specialists in all of Hawaii.
• After staffing issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses underwent 17 rounds of failed contract negotiations.
• Nearly 600 nurses took to the picket line, broadcasting their commitment to safe nurse-patient staffing ratios.

At Kapiolani Medical Center, Honolulu’s only pediatric hospital and facility with newborn specialists, over 600 nurses have returned from striking. These nurses have been working without an active contract since November 2023 and hoped a walk-out would bring attention to their negotiations with Kapiolani’s administration.

Nurses at Kapiolani are overwhelmed, often working 16 hours a day due to staffing shortages. Staffing issues began during the COVID-19 pandemic but have now become the new normal at Kapiolani.

The Kapiolani Medical Strike will be the first of its kind since 1976, nearly 50 years ago. 

This article will explore the existing working conditions at Kapiolani Medical Center, the current negotiations, and what to expect now that nurses have returned to work. 

How Did We Get Here?

The Kapiolani Medical Center strike came after 17 rounds of failed negotiations. Hospital administration claims that their final offer would have made Kapiolani nurses “amongst the highest paid in the state of Hawaii.” 

However, the nurses state that wages are not the cause of their dissatisfaction. Rosalee Agas Yuu, a nurse at Kapiolani and Hawaii’s Nursing Association president, states that the hospital “refused to address the key issue of unsafe patient-nurse ratio. This must be a priority to set standards of patient safety and creating a culture of quality care and excellence.”

Staffing ratios have been a common cause of nursing strikes, including the four-month strike at RWJ Hospital in New York. States like California and Oregon have passed legislation mandating minimum nurse staffing ratios, and nurses in Hawaii hope to see similar bills for their state in the near future. 

Staffing shortages have caused as many as six nurses to work overtime during the same 12-hour shift at Kapiolani. Nurses expect some overtime during emergencies or disasters, but at Kapiolani, they describe it as a “day in and day out” problem. 

Nurses waited to strike, knowing the stress this could have on their patients and community, as the hospital hired replacement strike nurses to work during their absence. Arlynn Sakamoto, a labor and delivery nurse since 1999, said she “wants to be there for their patients, especially those who crave a familiar face,” but “the strike is about ensuring that nurses have the kind of work conditions that are needed for good patient care.”

Citations During Walkout

Outside of the hospital, you would have found up to 350 nurses at any given time during the week, as well as a giant paper-mache rat meant to represent the hospital’s administration.

Nurses at Kapiolani received an outpour of support from the public as they picketed on the roadside. There was a “constant cacophony” of car horns from supportive members of the community as they drove by. 

Unfortunately, this led to citations from Honolulu’s police department. There is currently a city ordinance banning loud noises within 500 feet of a hospital. Drivers who used their car horn for “second or longer” would be given a citation, according to Honolulu’s police chief, Joe Logan. 

The police also wrote up Kimo Dirige, the father of a patient who was released from the hospital on Thursday. He describes the excitement and desire to celebrate the nurses who cared for his son during his three-month stay at Kapiolani. “I had my air horn with me and through excitement and through my emotions, I let it out, and next thing you know, our celebration was interrupted by police officers.” 

Dirige was fined $62 but was not dissuaded from his joy, stating, “I said you know what? You do what you gotta do. I’m going to celebrate this moment, my son, my family and my nurse ohana.”

After these incidents, the striking nurses posted signs warning drivers that honking in support of the strike could lead to citations from the police. 

The Bottom Line

After the weeklong Kapiolani Medical Center strike, nurses returned to work without a finalized contract with the hospital. The last round of negotiations was held on January 31st. 

If negotiations cannot come to an agreement, the nurses may issue another strike notice, giving the hospital ten days to prepare.

The nurses at Kapiolani have made it clear that they will not settle for platitudes from the hospital’s administration, dedicating themselves to sustainable working conditions and safe staffing to protect their patients.

Banner Image Sourced from Eric BVD

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