Nurses union seeks injunction to stop threatened lockout at Kapiolani Medical Center

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Hawaii Nurses Association has filed an injunction to stop Kapiolani Medical Center’s plan to lock out nurses who walk the picket line.

It’s just the latest maneuver in a nearly year-long labor dispute between the union and the hospital.

The HNA said it has filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

Kapiolani’s 600 nurses plan to go on strike for one day, starting Friday, to protest unfair labor practices by the hospital. Kapiolani administrators said any registered nurse represented by the union who takes part in the 24-hour strike will not be allowed to return to work until the union accepts its contract offer.

The union said the lockout is unlawful because it punishes employees for exercising their right to protest.

“All I know is we’ve experienced it in the inside and there’s nothing like being retaliated against or being bullied so you know, what you’re seeing that’s what happens, and for nurses to be able to stand up to that, I think it takes a lot, especially here in Hawaii,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, the HNA president.

“We don’t like to make trouble, we don’t want to rock the boat or anything but this is so important,” she added.

Meanwhile, Kapiolani Medical Center officials said the decision to impose a lockout was difficult, and one they did not come to lightly.

“We have not received any charge from the National Labor Relations Board regarding the lockout,” said Kapiolani’s chief operating officer Gidget Ruscetta. “We have no unfair labor practices here at the medical center, and just like the Nursing Association can call for a strike, we have the ability to impose a lockout and we are confident in our legal position.”

Ruscetta also said, “Because we care for children and women, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and we need uninterrupted care, this has to do with the agreement and we know that the nursing union has the ability to prevent this lockout by unconditionally accepting our offer.”

Both sides have agreed to meet Monday to continue negotiations. The nurses have been working without a contract since November 2023 and already staged a week-long strike in January.