Nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital plan strike over safety issues

RNs Plan Strike at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital Over Staffing Issues

Registered nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, are set to initiate a one-day strike on Monday, July 6. This action is a protest against the hospital administration's refusal to address nurses' concerns regarding patient safety and staff retention, as announced by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume is expected to join the nurses during their morning rally.

The hospital management has reduced staff hours, which nurses claim hinders their ability to deliver optimal patient care. Despite Ascension reporting a net profit exceeding $900 million in the last fiscal year, management has informed nurses that these hour reductions are part of a strategy to boost "productivity." To fill staffing gaps, the hospital has resorted to unsafe "floating" practices, where nurses from the medical/surgical units are reassigned to postpartum and pediatric units without appropriate training for caring for babies, children, or new parents.

"Staffing is the No. 1 issue that our coworkers bring to us nurses on the bargaining team. When we have too many patients, we can’t provide the care we were trained to give," stated Gideon Eziama, RN, from the cardiovascular telemetry unit. "The hospital’s stubborn refusal to improve staffing in our contract is troubling. They should put patients over profits and agree to a fair contract now."

Who: Registered nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital
What: One-day strike for patient safety and a fair contract
When: Monday, July 6, 7 a.m. to Tuesday, July 7, 6:59 a.m.
Rally at 9:00 a.m. with U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume
Where: Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, 900 S. Caton Ave., Baltimore, Md., at the main Caton Ave. entrance by the "Ascension" sign.

This upcoming strike follows the first-ever strike by Saint Agnes nurses in July 2025. The hospital has yet to agree to a contract addressing the nurses' patient safety concerns. The nurses have provided advance notice of the strike to the hospital.

Since January 2024, Saint Agnes nurses have been negotiating for a first contract, with minimal progress on critical issues. The RNs are urging management to invest in nursing staff and agree to a contract that includes:

• Safe staffing
• Retention of experienced RNs to ensure safe patient care
• Limitations on floating assignments based on patient safety

"Floating limitations are incredibly important and incredibly serious. In the postpartum unit this week, we were staffed by nurses from medical-surgical units without the specialization needed to care for babies in their most vulnerable moments," said Kathryn Blackburn, RN, in the labor delivery unit at Saint Agnes. "We have excellent, qualified nurses, but by trying to save pennies by shifting people around, Ascension does our patients a disservice. We are fighting for common-sense provisions in our contract, and the hospital will only benefit by agreeing to floating protections."

National Nurses Organizing Committee represents more than 600 nurses at Ascension St Agnes.

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.

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