More Nurses Join the Picket Lines in Hawaii

Nurses at Hawaii’s largest hospital went on strike Tuesday morning, joining colleagues from two other Honolulu hospitals on the picket lines.

Officials at the Queen’s Medical Center said care has been unaffected by the latest walkout, but nurses were skeptical about their patients’ well-being.

“It doesn’t feel right that they’re all sitting in there and we don’t know what kind of care they’re given,” said Julie Bachmann, who has been a nurse for 16 years, the last 13 at Queen’s. “It bothers you. But there comes a point when we need some care too.”

Bachmann was one of more than 100 nurses picketing in several locations outside the hospital Tuesday afternoon. The Hawaii Nurses Assn. said the nurses voted overwhelmingly Monday to reject an offer from management, sending them to the picket lines at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The Queen’s strike began 24 hours after nurses at two other hospitals in the city -- Kuakini Medical Center and St. Francis Medical Center -- walked out.

Nearly 1,400 of the state’s nurses are now on strike, and a union spokesman said he didn’t expect any immediate change. The union said no new talks have been scheduled and none were in sight for the next couple of days.

Union officials said they would continue their walkout as long as it takes to get a settlement. And hospital leaders said they were equipped to handle it.

Officials at Queen’s said the hospital has flown in about 250 nurses from the mainland to work during the strike. And registered nurses who normally work in management took over patient care.

Jennifer Riley, a nurse at Queen’s, said many in her profession are taking jobs outside of Hawaii because of low pay and benefits.