HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - More than 1,900 Kaiser Permanente Hawaii workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 5 are voting on an authorization to strike as their contracts come to an end on Sept. 30.

At the center of their concerns is obtaining a wage that keeps up with Hawaii’s high cost of living.

“In general, it’s been awful. We are just not putting up with what they’re offering us. We feel that it’s a slap in our face to us Kaiser workers. And we’re just not happy with their offering what they’re offering,” GI technician Desiree Diaz said.

Diaz has been with Kaiser for 17 years, and is among the 62,000 Kaiser workers nationwide whose contracts expire at the end of the month.

She’s also calling for staffing levels to be increased across various departments.

“Sometimes it can be very

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