Nurses at Maui’s main hospital will vote to strike if they don’t get more help

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A major contract at Maui’s main hospital is about to expire as union workers say they need help.

Maui Memorial Medical Center is the only acute care hospital on the island, and staff say the community’s safety is at risk.

They say the hospital’s nurse-to-patient ratio is unsafe, they are burnt out, and workers are leaving the medical field altogether to find better-paying jobs.

The United Nurses and Healthcare Workers of Hawaii (UNHCEH), a division of the United Nurses of California (UNAC), represents all nurses, ancillary staff, imaging technicians, and pharmacists at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

“We believe the safety of the community is already at risk because the staffing currently ongoing is unsafe. Our nurses are wanted everywhere. They are overwhelmed,” said UNHCEH Administrator Mathew Pelc. “For every additional patient a nurse adds to their workload, the mortality rate increases to 7%.”

Pelc says they represent more than 900 members, which is about half the staff at the hospital.

They have been negotiating with Kaiser Permanente’s Maui Health since July and have been unable to reach an agreement.

Their contracts expire at midnight on Tuesday.

Union officials say 98 percent of their members voted “yes” for the strike.

“It’s not really about the money. It’s more about safe staffing. Some of the money can help retain staff, bring in new staff and help train qualified people. We hire every nurse the University of Maui assigns, and many of them are hired as soon as they have the experience needed to apply for other jobs.” they leave to take good-paying jobs,” Pelc said.

Maui Health officials said they were negotiating “in good faith.”

“We have managed to reach a number of interim agreements in partnership with UNAC and we continue to make steady progress. Our goal is to reach an agreement with UNAC that provides excellent wages and benefits for our employees, while ensuring that we can continue to provide our community with access to the high-quality health care it needs and deserves. We are committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith to reach a fair and equitable agreement,” Maui Health officials said.

Pelc said the strike was a last resort, but he wanted the administration to know they were serious about their demands for more benefits and a living wage.

“It seems like you’re not taking this very seriously, and that’s a big deal. “There are lives at stake every day, and our staff doesn’t want to have to worry about whether they’ll have the staff to handle how patients should be cared for every day,” he said.

Pelc said people can support themselves by calling and emailing the hospital.

Both sides will return to the table on October 3 and will hold additional meetings throughout the month.