Nurses say Ascension has downplayed safety concerns for years

Nurses at two Ascension hospitals in Wichita, Kan., are moving forward with their one-day strike on July 6 to protest hospital management’s refusal to address RNs’ deep concerns about safety at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph hospitals. Nurses at the facilities are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the country’s largest nurses union. 

“Since we formed our union, safety has been one of our top issues,” said Courtney Callum, RN in the emergency department at St. Joseph. “It’s unconscionable that Ascension waits for tragedies to occur before taking action. We’re striking to show them that action needs to be taken to prevent workplace violence before it happens.”  

St. Francis
Where: On E. Murdock Ave. in front of the hospital
When: Picketing starts at 7 a.m., rally at 9 a.m. MORE INFO ON PICKET SHIFTS???

St. Joseph
Where: On E. Harry St. near the corner with S. Clifton Ave.
When: Picketing starts at 7 a.m., rally at 11 a.m.

“Nurses and our co-workers show up every day to take care of the people of Wichita,” said Aaron Rauber, RN in the neurological critical care at St. Francis. “We need Ascension to get serious about our safety proposals in our contract so we can make sure everyone who walks through our doors, staff or patients, knows they’re in a safe environment.” 

Nurses are also aware that Ascension management has announced a retaliatory lockout for striking nurses. Despite management’s claims, nurses want to make clear: The only reason management won’t allow striking nurses to return to the bedside alongside contractors is to punish the striking nurses. There is no reason striking nurses can’t return to work the day after the strike except for management’s decision-making. 

RNs at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph unionized in 2022 and 2023, and won a historic first contract in 2024. NNOC/NNU represents nearly 1,2000 nurses at St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals. 

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.