Wichita nurses ratify first-ever union contracts

Stephanie Nutt
·2 min read

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Nurses represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph have voted in favor of their first-ever two-year union contracts.

The voting took place from Sunday, April 14, through Monday, April 15.

At Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, 96% of nurses voted yes to ratifying their new contract, while 100% of nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph voted yes to ratifying.

The agreement comes after nurses pledged a third strike. KSN has covered the previous Wichita nurses’ strikes in June 2023 and in December 2023.

“This is a historic day for our union, our patients, our hospitals, and the entire city of Wichita,” said Shelly Rader, RN in the emergency department at St. Francis. “We’ve shown Ascension that nurses won’t back down when it comes to fighting for better patient care and better working conditions. We organized to fight for and win a strong contract, and we’re very excited to announce we’ve done just that now that nurses have approved this contract.”

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“Ascension tried to make this process as difficult as possible for us, but we showed them nothing can stop nurses,” said Marvin Ruckle, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Joseph. “We went on strike twice and were ready to strike a third time if it was necessary. Fortunately, management finally came to their senses and gave us the strong contract we need.”

National Nurses United States highlights of the contract include:

  • Safe Staffing: The hospitals will utilize staffing grids with nurse-to-patient ratios for every unit, enforceable through the nurse-led Professional Practice Committee, through nurse-filed Assignment Despite Objection (ADO) forms, and through collective action.

  • Safety for patients and nurses: Language setting new standards on health, safety, infectious disease protections, and workplace violence prevention.

  • Compensation and a transparent wage scale based on years of experience: An average of over 14 percent in increases, with some nurses receiving well over 50 percent, over the life of the contract.

The new two-year pacts cover the period from April 2024 to 2026.

Following the approval, Via Christi released a statement.

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