Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children

After months of negotiations, the Hawaiʻi Nurses’ Association finally ratified a new, three-year contract for hundreds of nurses at the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children — and the ability to have flexible staffing for nurses has become a point of emphasis for the hospital’s leadership.

Union nurses at Kapiʻolani Medical Center have approved a new contract by a 98% margin, securing the inclusion of new staffing guidelines and wage increases. The vote ended a yearlong negotiation process that included two strikes, a lockout and community arrests. HPR's Mark Ladao has the latest.

Late Tuesday afternoon, both sides reported an agreement on a deal between the hospital and nearly 600 HNA nurses. The union said the nurses were voting on the agreement Wednesday.

Negotiations between union nurses and Kapi‘olani Medical Center have intensified after community members were arrested for blocking the hospital entrance. Kapiʻolani has prohibited union nurses from returning to work since Sept. 14, after the nurses held a one-day strike.

It's back to the table for negotiators for the nurses union and Kapiʻolani Medical Center following a candlelight vigil for a 4-year-old girl who died at the hospital during the lockout. HPR's Catherine Cruz has more.

Hilton Raethel, the president of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, which represents many hospitals and long-term care facilities across the state, explained staffing ratios and labor trends across the industry.

HPR talked to Kapiʻolani Medical Center COO Gidget Ruscetta about the ongoing labor contract negotiations — and the latest strike and lockout. She said the hospital remains fully staffed with a temporary workforce.

A rare move to prevent union nurses from entering Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children following a one-day strike moved into its third day. Hawaiʻi Nurses' Association leader Rosalee Agas-Yuu spoke to HPR.

What began as a one-day strike last week quickly developed into the lockout of hundreds of union nurses at Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children. But how did we get here? What is the central issue? HPR's Mark Ladao explains.

Demonstrations continued Monday outside Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children as unionized nurses urge hospital management to limit how many patients they're assigned at a time. HPR's Mark Ladao has more.