St. Francis and St. Joseph nurses to hold one-day strike amid contract negotiations

Ascension nurses at a hospital in Texas and two Wichita hospitals will have a one-day strike, according to a union news release sent out Thursday.

The strike will be June 27.

It appears as though it will involve all of the nurses at the Wichita hospitals, Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph and St. Francis, and at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas.

The National Nurses Organizing Commission said in a news release Wednesday that it represents nearly 2,000 nurses at the three hospitals. Thursday’s release said “2,000 Ascension nurses will strike.”

Nurses at all three hospitals have voted to unionize within the last year. All are in the middle of negotiating a contract with hospital administrators.

Union news releases contend the contract they are fighting for will improve patient care and retention.

St. Joseph nurses voted this week — St. Francis nurses did so just a couple week ago — to allow the union the right to call a strike.

In an emailed statement, Ascension said they are disappointed, “especially given the hardship this will present for our associates and their families, and the concern this action may cause our patients and their loved ones.” However, they are “well-prepared to remain open” during the one-day strike.

“We have a comprehensive contingency plan in place to ensure there is no disruption in care or service for those we are privileged to serve,” Ascension said.

Hospitals nationwide have had chronic shortages of nurses, many of whom left the industry amid the stresses of the pandemic. There also is concern that Ascension, one of the largest healthcare systems in the country, had aggravated the problem by years of cutting staffing in order to increase profits, according to a New York Times investigation.

The NNOC is an affiliate of the National Nurses United, the country’s largest registered nurses union.

This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 3:33 PM.