Kaiser health care workers on Maui ratify 3-year contract

Nearly 500 front-line health care workers at Kaiser’s Maui Health System have ratified a three-year contract to end a nearly two-month strike. Members of the United Public Workers AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO voted 87% in favor of the new agreement. UPW workers will return to work as early as Sunday.

“The new contract represents months of hard work and determination and is reflective of the sacrifices our members have made during the strike,” United Public Workers AFSCME, Local 646, AFL-CIO State Director Kalani Werner said today in a statement. “Our members labored through the pandemic and have had to continue to endure staffing shortages, so while this is a step in the right direction, there is still work to be done. We will do everything we can to ensure future contracts provide adequate pay increases, fair working conditions, and demonstrate the importance of our members.”

The contract includes pay-scale adjustments for all job classifications, at least a 10.5% wage increase for all members and a lump sum payment for all members, among other benefits.

Nurse aides, respiratory therapists, licensed practical nurses, housekeepers, cooks and other workers at Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital had been on strike since Feb. 22.

“Nothing makes us happier than to have our team back together and whole again,” Maui Health interim CEO Kerry Watson said in a statement. “We are sincerely grateful to both bargaining committees, our own team and the UPW team, for working countless hours over the last ten months to achieve a fair and equitable agreement for our employees.”