Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, February 27, 2021
Maui Nurses Tentative Contract
By News Release @ 6:21 PM :: 2981 Views :: Maui County, Health Care, Labor

Nurses and Health Care Workers at Maui Health System Reach Tentative Agreement for a New Contract

Agreement benefits patients, the community, and workers

News Release from United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaii Feb 26, 2021

MAUI—The registered nurses and other health care workers of Maui Health System reached a tentative contract agreement with MHS management just past 1:00 am HST Friday morning. The contract rewards the risks taken and sacrifices made by these workers during the pandemic, while addressing other significant issues such as retention of experienced nurses, bringing up the wages of the lowest-paid workers, and giving nurses a voice in patient care.

The agreement comes after eight months of negotiations which began on June 15, 2020 and ended in two marathon sessions this week assisted by a mediator with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), one which began Tuesday morning and ended around 2:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, and yesterday’s session which began in the afternoon and ended in the early morning hours today. The previous contract expired on June 30, 2020 but was extended by mutual agreement between union and management numerous times during the course of bargaining.

“We secured improvements in this new contract that will benefit the community as a whole as well as the staff,” said Phil Velasco, RN, Co-Chair of United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaii (UNHCEH), a chapter of United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). “I’m glad it’s done.

“We thank the Maui community for their support, and I appreciate the hard work and dedication put in over the last eight months by our negotiating team, as well as the staff in our facilities who waited patiently these last eight months, and who came out in huge numbers last week for our vehicle parade around Maui Memorial, which helped show management how important this was to everyone and bring the negotiations to a successful resolution.”

Last week’s Respect Our Health Care Heroes Parade saw 149 cars decorated with streamers, balloons, signs and writing on windshields, and packed with an estimated 500 UNHCEH members, family, friends, and community supporters, circle the hospital three times in a raucous celebration of the risks and sacrifices made by these workers during the pandemic.

“We did make financial gains, but just being able to provide improved care for the community is very important,” said Velasco. “We addressed some significant issues, such as creation of a labor-management practice committee which gives nurses and staff input into patient care issues, such as acuity and care standards. 

“We also won provisions to address the retention of experienced nurses and lift the wages of some of our lower-paid workers who contribute so much to patient care. People tend to focus on nursing, but it takes everybody including those not generally noticed, like admitting clerks, financials clerks, imaging techs, and others, to provide the needed services that benefit our patients.”

In 2018-2019 the turnover rate among nurses at MHS was around 20%. The standard acceptable turnover rate in health care is around 9-12%.

The agreement is tentative until UNHCEH members have the chance to meet, review it, and vote on it. Ratification meetings are being set up now, likely for next week. More details of the agreement can be announced upon ratification.

###

United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) represents more than 32,000 registered nurses, health care professionals, and ancillary staff in California and Hawaii, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; case managers; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners; admitting clerks, imaging techs, financial counselors, and more. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO.

MN: Union, Maui Health System reach a tentative contract agreement

MN: Nurses and Health Care Workers at Maui Health System Reach Tentative Agreement for New Contract

KITV: Nurses reach tentative agreement with Maui Health

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT