RN Wages v. Cost of Living
Why it is important to stay united and take action.
We Are the Lowest Paid Nurses in the Nation: Why Queen’s Wage Offer is Not Enough to Recruit and Retain Nurses
Queen’s most recent wage offer (from June) is 5%, 4% in 2025, and 3% in 2026. That’s their total offer. The bargaining team is rejecting this offer because it is nowhere near what we need to keep up with the cost of living in Hawai’i.
Inflation Rates
The latest numbers from the Consumer Price Index show that the Honolulu metro area saw the nation’s highest annual inflation rate in May, at 5.2%. Nationwide, inflation is running at 3% annually. That means it costs us 5.2% more just to live than it did in January-April.
Home Prices
In our Work-Life Balance survey earlier this year, many of our members said they cannot afford to buy a home here. The numbers tell us why: According to Zillow, the median home price in Hawai’i as of June 2024 is $799,000. That’s significantly over the national median home price of $412,000.
Hawai’i is Most Expensive Place to Live
The highest Inflation and Housing costs in the nation make Hawai’i the most expensive state in the country to live in, according to World Population Review rankings. But how do our wages stack up against the rest of the nation when adjusted for cost of living?
Hawai’i is Last in the Nation for RN Wages
When our wages at Hawai’i hospitals are adjusted for the extremely high cost of living, we are LAST IN THE NATION (Best & Worst States for Nurses in 2024 (wallethub.com). We are the lowest paid nurses in the country living in the state with the highest cost of living. That’s unfair for nurses and unfair for our community. We don’t accept being underpaid, understaffed, and overworked, and neither should Queen’s.
Management’s Wage Offer by the Numbers:
If we were to accept management’s wage offer now, we would not keep up with inflation and would end up making less than we do now when inflation is considered. Here’s the breakdown:
Inflation since 2020
2020 1.2%
2021 4.7%
2022 8%
2023 4.1%
2024 3% forecast (In June we were at 5.2% year over year)
2025 2.1% forecast
2026 2% forecast
Total 25.1%
Raises
2020 2%
2021 3%
2022 2%
2023 4%
2024 5% (proposed by management)
2025 4% (proposed by management)
2026 3% (proposed by management)
Total 23%
Management’s offer is equal to a 2% pay cut for the contract year because it does not keep up with inflation. Why? Because it’s going to cost us that much more just to live due to inflation. That means buy the end of this contract we would be behind in wages once inflation is factored in.
These wage increases will not help us retain nurses. We know from our survey that over 90% of nurses in their first 5 years have, or are, considering leaving the state for higher wages and safe staffing laws. Unsafe staffing levels are a known driver of nurse burnout and turnover. Add to that low pay and Queen’s is creating the conditions that drive nurses out of Hawai’i. We deserve safe staffing and wages that keep up with inflation to keep our nurses here in Hawai’i serving our community.
What Can We Do About It?
Nurses from Oregon, California, Michigan, New Jersey and New York to name only a few, have engaged in strikes and job actions throughout 2023 to win higher wages and safe staffing. We know the hospital will throw everything at us to keep their profits and put nurses and patients last! But we are fighting back! We can’t win without every member becoming involved.
Join your coworkers at:
The Community Rally on August 17th from 9:00-10:30 at The Hawai’i State Capitol, when our community allies will join us to send a message to the Governor that Safe Staffing Saves Lives.
