HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Hawaiʻi Teamsters and Allied Workers, Local 996, announced their represented employees at Kapiʻolani Medical Center will be on strike on Oct. 17 if a contract is not reached.
Workers will be on strike beginning at 7 a.m. at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children.
The union represents workers such as technicians, housekeeping, dietary employees and more, with their workers enduring heavy workers and stagnating wages, the local said.
Amongst other claims, the union said that their proposals have not been meaningfully responded to by management and that their employees are not being treated in a fair manner.
“Despite repeated attempts at negotiation, management has failed to respond meaningfully to our proposals or address the serious concerns affecting patient care and worker well-being,” the union said. “We did not arrive at this decision lightly… We believe the public deserves quality healthcare, and that cannot be sustained unless staff are treated as professionals and partners.”
Local 996 said they ask the hospital management to work with them on a contract that has fair wages, overtime protections and job security.
In a statement, Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children Chief Operating Officer Gidget Ruscetta said that patient care will not be interrupted and that the institution hopes to reach an agreement in the near future.
“While we are disappointed by the decision, providing excellent care for our community remains our focus. As a highly specialized medical center, Kapiʻolani pland and prepares a wide range of situations to ensure continuous care for Hawaiʻi’s women and children,” Ruscetta said. “We want to reassure our patients and the community that our programs and services will not be interrupted. We continue to work toward reaching an agreement soon.”