Honolulu-based Hawaii Pacific Health's Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children has reached a three-year contract agreement with nurses represented by the Hawaii Nurses Association. The nurses will return to work Oct. 6, putting an end to a lockout imposed by the medical center on Sept. 13.
The new contract includes raises, longevity pay increases and a flexible staffing level matrix, according to an Oct. 2 news release from the medical center.
"This has been an emotional process for all of us at Kapiolani, and we are ready to move forward, together," Kapi'olani COO Gidget Ruscetta, RN, said in the release.
"HNA members at Kapi'olani won a monumental agreement that includes the first contractually enforceable nurse-to-patient ratios in Hawaii history," the Hawaii Nurses Association said in an Oct. 2 Facebook post. "Nurses will vote to ratify the contract tomorrow and return to work Sunday, October 6th."