Ascension Via Christi nurses prepare to strike in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and St Joseph hospitals are moving forward with a one-day strike on Tuesday, June 27, National Nurses United said on Monday.

Nurses in Wichita plan to hit the picket line starting at 7 a.m. They will be on the picket line until 7 a.m. Wednesday. St Joseph nurses will be at the intersection of Clifton and Harry. St. Francis nurses will be at St. Francis and Murdock.

The strike comes after National Nurses United said Ascension repeatedly dismissed nurses’ solutions for patient safety during contract negotiations, including proposals to enforce safe staffing and improve nurse recruitment and retention. The union states that short-staffing makes providing patients with the highest quality of care challenging.

Ascension said it has a plan to make sure patient safety is a top priority and is well prepared to remain open during the work stoppage event.

The hospital says any registered nurses who choose to work on Tuesday will not be replaced. Registered nurses who are not working on Tuesday will be temporarily replaced until the morning of July 1, when the “replacement agency contractual obligation is fulfilled.”

The union says that Ascension’s three-day lockout threat has failed to intimidate them.