Unions representing health care workers at Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii said this morning that the majority of their members have voted to authorize a strike.

Voting began Sep. 15, and the results were confirmed this morning. Unite Here Local 5 said 97% of its members, and 89% of the Hawaii Nurses and Healthcare Professionals’ members voted to give union leadership the ability to call a strike after contracts expire on Sept. 30.

The unions, which together represent more than 2,000 Kaiser workers in Hawaii, said their key priorities include safer staffing levels to protect their workers’ well-being and the ability to give quality patient care, as well as fair wage increases.

Local 5 workers said they are seeking pay and benefits equitable to their counterparts on the U.S. continent. In so

See Full Page