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Maui Health System workers voted overwhelmingly to approve a new four-year contract over the weekend, bringing eight months of negotiations and disputes over worker pay to a close, the union said.
Nurses and health care workers weighed in on the new contract over a 24-hour voting period from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday, according to the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals, which represents nearly 900 workers across Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital.
“This is our first contract between management and UNAC, so we wanted to build a foundation for future contracts and emphasizing improved quality of care and safety for the community and the staff,” said Philip Velasco, a Maui Memorial nurse and co-chairman of the United Nurses and Health Care Employees of Hawaii, the union’s local chapter.
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Participants say the event was aimed at bringing attention to the risks and sacrifices they’ve made during the pandemic as they negotiate a new contract.
cuechi@mauinews.com
Decorated in signs like âZero % is not a good faith negotiation,â a caravan of vehicles drives past Maui Memorial Medical Center on Monday afternoon in support of fair raises for health care workers. The union representing the workers said that Maui Health has proposed no increase in pay for the first year of the new contract, 1.25 percent in the second year and 1.25 percent in the third.
The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo
WAILUKU Maui Health System workers are calling for fairer raises in the face of a proposed 0 percent increase in pay over the first year of their new contract.