Honking cars, hand-painted signs and chants on Punahou Street have become part of the daily soundtrack as hundreds of Teamsters Local 996 members push into a fourth week on strike outside Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children. The walkout involves roughly 300 technicians, nurse aides, surgical techs, dietary staff, housekeepers and other support workers who argue that current wages and retirement benefits simply do not keep up with Honolulu’s steep cost of living. Hospital leaders maintain that services are continuing, while some families and employees inside the building say they are noticing service gaps and sagging morale.
In an online statement, Hawaii Pacific Health said Kapiʻolani received a strike notice effective Oct. 17 and stressed that the campus “will remain open and continue providing patient care” with help from a temporary workforce. The system noted that it has shortened some dining-room hours and shifted many classes back to in-person, while keeping maternity tours virtual until the labor dispute settles.
What the union is demanding
Union leaders say the heart of the standoff is about wages, retirement benefits, longevity pay and scheduling rules that members contend make it impossible to stay afloat on Oʻahu. “We’ll be out here at 24/7. We’ve got three shifts running seven days a week, and we’ll be here until we get that deal done,” Teamsters Local 996 president Kevin Holu told reporters. As reported by Hawaii News Now, about 300 employees are participating in the walkout.
Hospital response and pay offer
Hospital officials say they have brought in a temporary workforce to keep patient care running and point to an offer that includes a 4% pay increase and a portion of a proposed longevity bonus as evidence they are trying to boost compensation. In a written statement quoted by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Kapiʻolani COO Gidget Ruscetta said the hospital is open and willing to head back to the bargaining table, emphasizing efforts to limit disruption for patients.
NLRB filings and legal stakes
The union has filed unfair labor practice charges accusing the hospital of bad-faith bargaining, a complaint that now sits on the National Labor Relations Board’s docket. According to the National Labor Relations Board, the case remains open and includes an allegation of refusal to bargain, a procedural move that could trigger federal review if the board finds the claim has merit.
How patients and families are feeling
Inside the hospital, patients and families have reported a mixed experience that ranges from louder-than-usual picket noise filtering into rooms to small service details being missed. Some visitors say the mood among remaining staff feels heavier than usual. Those concerns were documented as the strike entered its fourth week, as per Hawaii News Now, which noted that several visitors complained that picket noise had disturbed inpatients.
Where talks stand and what is next
Negotiators for Kapiʻolani and Local 996 have met repeatedly, but both sides acknowledge they remain far apart on key economic terms and scheduling language. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that bargaining sessions have been held more than a dozen times without a settlement, and union leaders say picket lines will stay up until members secure what they describe as livable wages and fair retirement benefits…