Kaiser Permanente Hawaii will temporarily close down 10 of its smaller clinics on Oahu and the neighbor islands during a planned six-day strike by nearly 1,900 union workers, or about 43 percent of its workforce.
The state’s largest health maintenance organization announced Tuesday that it will reschedule elective procedures and nonurgent appointments and close the smaller clinics while consolidating resources to its larger medical facilities.
"As always, our first priority is the safety and care of our members and patients," Kaiser spokeswoman Laura Lott said in an email. "To ensure our members and patients continue to receive high-quality care, we are making operational changes. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to minimize disruption to our patients and members. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by Local 5’s action and appreciate our members’ understanding and patience."
Kaiser said it will directly contact patients affected by the changes.
Unite Here Local 5, the union representing 1,874 Kaiser workers, is planning to strike from Monday to Feb. 7 after working without a new contract for more than two years. Kaiser has 4,314 employees.
Wage increases are among the issues that stalled labor negotiations for the past 21⁄2 years. Local 5 said Kaiser’s last offer included proposed raises of 4 percent over three years, the lowest the HMO has offered any other union in Hawaii and on the mainland. That compares with a 14 percent boost in pay over three years for about 18,000 California nurses whose union announced an agreement with Kaiser on Monday after a two-day strike in November.
Gerald Penaflor, 49, a laboratory technician assistant at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center who earns $20.85 an hour, said the strike is not just about workers’ salaries and benefits, but about quality care for members of the community.
"They’ve also laid off and closed departments, such as the Honolulu Urgent Care Clinic (in March 2013). Those types of decisions made by Kaiser were troubling for us," he said, adding that Kaiser nationwide has been profitable for more than a decade and has doubled its reserves. "Not only do they close departments and lay off people, but the work is left with people who may not be qualified or may be stretching their scope of practice. It’s definitely a quality-of-care issue. This strike we don’t want to do. We really don’t but it’s the last resort. A strike is not done to hurt the public. It’s more to warn them that there’s a serious issue here."
Kaiser also has proposed eliminating guaranteed pensions for new employees — a major sticking point in negotiations.
"Our last best and final offer (on Jan. 16, 2014) included pay increases and a proposal that new employees receive a defined contribution pension plan — no pension changes for existing employees," Lott said, adding that union leadership did not allow employees to vote on the proposal. "The proposed pension plan change for new employees is necessary to control costs and help keep health care affordable for our members."
The union represents housekeepers, maintenance and food service workers, medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, receptionists and medical technicians. The workers’ previous contract expired in August 2012.
The clinic closures will be a hassle for members across the state, said Halawa resident Tammy Lopez, whose husband, Eli, and children Elijah, 13, and Ellie, 8, regularly receive care at the Kaiser clinics.
"I think it’s really inconvenient. Now I have to go further," she said. "I think it’s really irresponsible for people to stop working. They should continue to work so that the clinics can continue to operate, but at the same time, management has to be responsible to close the deal. After two years it’s enough already. They have to come to an agreement."
Kaiser is encouraging members to use its mail-order prescription drug program instead of going into the pharmacy next week, as well as visit kp.org to email their doctors for nonurgent health issues or have a phone appointment with their providers. Prescription orders can be placed online at kp.org/rxrefill or by phone (643-7979). The company’s after-hours advice line is 432-7700 (Oahu) or 467-3011 on the neighbor islands.
For more information on the facility closures, go to kp.org/hawaii.
