Pickets accused of blocking entrances

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii said Tuesday striking union workers picketing at its clinics blocked patients trying to get into the facilities on the second day of a six-day strike. The union denied the accusation.

The behavior Kaiser is describing is "not true at all," said Paola Rode­las, a spokes­woman for Unite Here Local 5, the union representing 1,900 Kaiser workers.

Local 5 has instructed picketers to encourage patients to come to Kaiser and not to block their entry, Rode­las said.

"We have big signs that say, ‘The clinics are open,’" she said. "We do have picketers who walk along the crosswalks where the cars enter, but as soon as a car is approaching, we instruct everyone to go on the side to make way for the cars. We coordinate with (police), that’s why officers are over there. They help us with the flow of traffic and in making sure everyone is safe."

Linda Pu‘u, Kaiser’s chief nurse executive, said the union strikers are putting patients at risk, citing one example of a man whose mother was having a seizure in the car and had to wait more than 10 minutes to get to the emergency room because picketers were blocking the hospital entrance.

In another instance at the Wai­pio Clinic, traffic was backing up because entrances were being blocked by picketing, and patients were waiting 10 to 15 minutes just to get into the driveway, Pu‘u said.

"They’re health care workers and we provide health care, it’s not a hotel," Pu‘u said. "Preventing our patients from getting the care they need shouldn’t be a negotiating tactic. It’s dangerous."

Pu‘u said Kaiser has reached out to Local 5 leadership and the Hono­lulu Police Department about the incidents "so we can work together to allow our members to come in and go to appointments and receive the emergency care that we need to provide."

Rodelas said traffic is always bad during rush hour and that perhaps patients got confused thinking any delays were caused by the strike.

"We’d never do that," she added. "Kaiser knows the patients are on our side. We think they’re saying this because it’s a tactic to detract from our message that it’s Kaiser who is hurting patient care by closing urgent care, laying off workers and understaffing and overworking our workers."

The union organized a statewide strike following objections to what it calls low proposed wage increases and a proposal to eliminate guaranteed pensions for new employees. The workers, picketing in four-hour shifts, include licensed practical nurses, medical assistants and housekeepers. The strike will continue through Saturday.

Kaiser is asking patients to get to their appointments early and allow more time for the traffic congestion.