Saint Agnes Nurses Rally for Fair Contract to Improve Patient Care

Saint Agnes Nurses Rally for Improved Contract and Patient Care

As part of a growing movement to enhance patient care and retain nursing staff, registered nurses from Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, are set to rally in front of a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meeting on November 12. The demonstration aims to spotlight Ascension’s alleged failure to uphold the USCCB's directives for Catholic health care organizations, which emphasize serving marginalized patients and treating employees with dignity and respect. Read more about the USCCB directives.

Melissa LaRue, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Saint Agnes, expressed her concerns: “As a proud Catholic, I am deeply saddened to see Ascension’s mission disintegrate in the years I have worked at Saint Agnes Hospital. The church teaches that all human beings should be treated with dignity, but at our hospital, we see indignity on a daily, even hourly, basis – with rampant unsafe staffing and workplace violence due to Ascension’s relentless pursuit of profit.”

The nurses have been in negotiations since February 2024, following a successful union election in November 2023. They claim that Ascension has not bargained in good faith regarding proposals to improve staffing safety and protect patients from service cuts, billing disputes, and unexpected charges. More on the negotiations.

Event Details:

Who: Ascension Saint Agnes registered nurses, along with nurses from Kansas and Texas and local religious and elected officials

What: Rally to urge U.S. bishops to ensure Ascension adheres to Catholic values in serving vulnerable patients

When: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 9 a.m.–10 a.m.

Where: Waterfront Marriott, 700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, MD

Saint Agnes nurses, members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), will be joined by colleagues from Ascension facilities in Kansas and Texas. This action follows nearly 2,000 nurses from four Ascension sites who have organized unions and strikes over discrepancies between Ascension’s declared mission and its actual practices. Learn about Ascension’s mission.

Despite a statement from Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Chairman of USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, affirming the importance of labor unions, Ascension has reportedly delayed contract negotiations and taken action against union nurses, including terminations and disciplinary threats. In 2023, the Department of Labor noted Ascension spent over $1.2 million on anti-union consultants.

Fr. Ty Hullinger of the Transfiguration Catholic Community in Baltimore stated, “The nurses of Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital deserve the same respect for their human dignity, their lifesaving and life-affirming work for the needy of Baltimore, and for their right to organize and collectively bargain for their working conditions as Ascension has recognized in other Catholic hospitals.”

Nancy Conrad, coordinator of the Maryland Catholic Labor Network, expressed support for the nurses, saying, “The Maryland Catholic Labor Network strongly supports the efforts of Saint Agnes nurses in their effort to negotiate their first union contract.”

As one of the largest Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension promotes its mission to advocate for a compassionate and just society. However, it has faced accusations of undermining workers' rights, providing high executive salaries, and maintaining significant cash reserves by reducing staffing. Read about staffing concerns.

Recent analyses indicate Ascension’s sales and proposed sales of 24 hospitals since October 2023 primarily affect lower-income communities. Additionally, a January 2024 report revealed that Ascension cut nearly a quarter of its labor and delivery units over a decade, disproportionately impacting low-income, Black, and Latine patients.

LaRue concluded with a plea to the bishops: “I plead with the bishops to use their power and authority to change Ascension’s practices. They must demand that Ascension honor its mission and respect their directives to pay particular attention to the health care needs of the poor, the uninsured, and the underinsured who come to our hospital and to Ascension hospitals nationwide.”

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with nearly 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.