Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s licensed practical nurses and medical assistants protested possible registered nurse layoffs by distributing informational leaflets Tuesday to members at the Honolulu Clinic and Moanalua Medical Center.
In union talks, Kaiser has proposed to eliminate 47 registered nurses in primary care positions at some of its 18 clinics statewide, or nearly one-quarter of its clinic RNs.
The company put forward a plan to replace them with lower-skilled licensed practical nurses and medical assistants, some of whom said the cuts would mean a increased workload resulting in poor patient care.
The company is in negotiations with both Unite Here Local 5, representing roughly 1,900 Kaiser workers including LPNs, medical assistants and housekeeping staff, and the Hawaii Nurses Association, negotiating on behalf of RNs.
"Union members are distributing fliers today, and we respect their right to do so," said Kaiser spokeswoman Laura Lott. "We have been bargaining in good faith and remain hopeful we can reach an agreement with the union that reflects our appreciation for our employees’ good work and ultimately serves the needs of our members, customers and communities."
Cade Watanabe, spokesman for Local 5, said, "We don’t trust Kaiser. What we’re hearing from our members every day is quite alarming. Patients should know that these layoffs, even though they may only affect a very specific number of registered nurses, will have huge impacts on the quality of care that they’re going to be receiving at Kaiser."
HNA President Joan Craft said the union is hopeful that ongoing "high-level discussions" will result in no layoffs, but, instead, redeployment of RNs to other areas.
"Our goal is to provide the best outcome for the nurses so that they are impacted as minimally as possible," she said. "We’re in the process of negotiating with the employer on this. No layoffs, that’s what I’m working for … and that everyone will land safely in this situation."
Medical assistant Cindy Aban, who was handing out fliers Tuesday at the Honolulu Clinic, said the company has implemented a hiring freeze and has been reducing staff for a while.
"It’s not going to be a good thing for our staff who are left behind," she said. "We barely can even give the proper time that we should give to our patients. You cannot put a time stamp on quality care. We’re going to have to bother the doctors while they’re seeing scheduled patients and constantly ask them for assistance in duties that we’re not trained or have the qualifications for."
Local 5 members at the Waipio Clinic plan today to distribute more leaflets, which mention specifically that Kaiser has laid off seven housekeepers and now "expects the medical staff to empty their own trash," meaning "less time with the patient."
