Nurses rally outside of Wichita hospital ahead of first union contract negotiation

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Nurses rallied outside Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Wednesday morning ahead of union contract negotiations.

It’s the first contract negotiation since the staff voted to join the National Nurses United Union. The nurses at Saint Francis are the first at a private-sector hospital in Wichita to unionize.

“We need better staffing, we need ascension to get serious about recruiting and retaining nurses and we need to have a better safety workplace violence program. Nurses are in danger when we go to work and ascension needs to take care of their nurses,” said Sara Wilson, a registered nurse.

Nurses from Saint Francis were joined by some from Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph who recently filed their own petition to form a union.