Via Christi St. Joseph nurses vote to authorize strike

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The union nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph hospital are willing to strike if they do not get the contract they want.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) said of the St. Joseph nurses who voted, 90% authorized a strike. The vote comes two weeks after a similar vote of Ascension Via Christi St. Francis nurses got 93% support to authorize a strike.

In November, St. Francis became the first private-sector hospital in Wichita to unionize. Nurses at St. Joseph voted to unionize in March. The NNOC/NNU represents nearly 1,000 nurses between the two hospitals.

Nurses at the two hospitals are in the middle of bargaining their first union contract with Ascension. The union nurses say they have several issues they are working through, including staffing levels, workplace violence, nurse recruitment and retention.

“We have a staffing crisis at our hospital because management refuses to get serious about nurse recruitment and retention,” St. Joseph nurse Marvin Ruckle said in a news release. “We know a strong union contract is the best way to address this, and we’re prepared to show management that we’ll fight for our patients at the table and on the strike line.”

Nurses say they will provide notice of a plan to strike at least 10 days in advance. The National Labor Relations Board policy requires people in health care to give a 10-day notice before the strike.

KSN News reached out to Ascension Via Christi for its response to the St. Joseph strike vote. A spokesperson sent us this statement:

We continue to bargain in good faith with National Nurses United to come to a mutually beneficial agreement on an initial contract that supports all and will further our goal of providing safe, compassionate care to those we serve.

“While we respect our associates’ right to organize themselves through union representation and participate in a strike authorization vote, this action is disappointing given that the Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph bargaining team and NNU bargaining team have only held one bargaining session on the initial collective bargaining agreement. Additional bargaining sessions are scheduled through the end of August.

“We have not received a 10-day strike notice from NNU for either Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph or Ascension Via Christi St. Francis. Should we receive an official strike notification, we have a comprehensive contingency plan in place to ensure our patients experience no disruption in care or service.

Ascension Via Christi

NNOC/NNU said Ascension nurses from Wichita and from Texas will rally outside the Ascension headquarters in St. Louis on Wednesday. The union says the nurses will be demanding safer staffing practices.