Nurses at Via Christi St. Joseph vote to unionize

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita voted by 62 percent, 179 to 108, to join National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC), an affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU), the nation’s largest and fastest-growing RN union. The secret ballot election was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday.

St. Joseph becomes the second hospital in Wichita to join NNOC/NNU in just four months. Last November, registered nurses voted to unionize at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital, the largest, and first private-sector hospital in Wichita to become unionized by registered nurses. St. Joseph is also the third Ascension health hospital nationwide to join NNOC/NNU in six months after nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas became the first Ascension hospital to vote to join NNOC/NNU.

The union will represent more than 350 RNs at the hospital, which is owned by Ascension, one of the largest not-for-profit and Catholic hospital chains in the nation, with 143 hospitals and other health care facilities in 19 states.

Among the issues nurses expressed are frustrations about staffing.

“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,” said registered nurse Sara Wilson. “Nurses are in danger when we go to work and Ascension needs to take care of their nurses.”

A statement from the hospital read:

“We are disappointed our registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph voted for union representation. We strongly believe we can be most effective working collaboratively without union representation. We respect the voting process and are committed to ensuring it is followed during the vote certification period.”

Nurses at St. Joseph pursued union affiliation to strengthen their capacity to advocate for change at the hospital and improve the recruitment and retention of RNs. The vote took place against a backdrop of growing national concern about the willingness of RNs to work under morally distressing and injurious conditions.

“This vote is a victory for our patients and the entire Wichita community,” said Marvin Ruckle, an RN in the neonatal ICU. “As nurses, we want to provide our patients with optimal care, and union membership will support us as we fight for the resources we need to do that, including a contract that ensures safer staffing, workplace violence prevention, and local nurse retention.”

Next, the nurses will elect a team to represent them in negotiations for a first contract with Ascension. To prepare for negotiations, they will survey the RNs about the key issues over which to bargain.