Nurses and Catholic allies rally for rights, patient safety at USCCB event

Healthcare Workers Rally for Progressive Labor Practices in Catholic Hospitals

Registered nurses from Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, along with colleagues from other facilities operated by Ascension and CommonSpirit, are set to demonstrate at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) annual meeting in Baltimore, Md., on November 12. The rally aims to spotlight the perceived shortcomings of Ascension and CommonSpirit, the largest Catholic healthcare systems in the nation, in upholding the USCCB's guidelines for Catholic healthcare organizations. These guidelines emphasize serving marginalized patients and treating employees with dignity and justice.

Nicki Horvat, a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Ascension Saint Agnes and a member of the bargaining team, commented, “In my 10 years working at Saint Agnes Hospital, I have seen Ascension drift farther and farther away from its mission. Ascension claims to ‘advocate for a more just society,’ but at our hospital and at Ascension facilities across the country, patients suffer the indignities of chronic unsafe staffing due to Ascension’s relentless pursuit of profit.”

After their successful union election in November 2023, nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes have been in negotiations since February 2024. They accuse Ascension of not negotiating in good faith to improve staffing levels and protect patients from service cuts and unexpected billing issues. In September, nurses at Saint Agnes highlighted Ascension's investments in industries such as weapons manufacturing and fossil fuels, which contradict the Vatican's investment principles. In the 2025 fiscal year, Ascension reported profits exceeding $900 million.

The demonstration will feature nurses from various Ascension and CommonSpirit sites, including those from Kansas and Texas, alongside members of the Maryland Catholic Labor Network and local officials. It will take place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Waterfront Marriott, 700 Aliceanna St., Baltimore, Md.

Participants will include members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) from Ascension Via Christi in Wichita, Kansas, and Ascension Seton in Austin, Texas. Over the past four years, more than 2,500 nurses from four Ascension facilities have organized unions and gone on strike, citing discrepancies between the system's religious mission and its operational practices.

Nurses at CommonSpirit's St. Joseph Health in Texas have also reported worsening conditions due to a profit-driven approach, prompting them to unionize with NNOC/NNU. Despite reporting profits of over $1.6 billion last year, CommonSpirit has launched aggressive anti-union campaigns, according to Sandy Reding, RN, of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, who stated, “To have CommonSpirit executives unleash such a punitive and aggressive anti-union campaign against nurses organizing to better patient care is unconscionable.”

Fr. Ty Hullinger of Our Lady, Queen of Peace parish in Maryland, remarked, "Tragically, the nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes in Baltimore and the CommonSpirit-owned St. Joseph Health in Bryan-College Station, Texas are having their rights trampled by brutal anti-union campaigns waged by their employers.” He emphasized the need for these healthcare systems to align with Catholic doctrines that support workers' rights to organize.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak, in a 2024 statement from USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, acknowledged the critical role of labor unions in society. Despite this, Ascension continues to challenge unionization efforts by delaying negotiations and penalizing union members. The Department of Labor reports that Ascension spent over $1.2 million on anti-union consultants in 2023.

Chuck Hendricks, president of the Catholic Labor Network, stated, “Catholic Social Teaching is clear: Workers have a God-given right to organize, and employers have a moral duty to bargain in good faith. When Catholic hospitals spend their resources on union-busting instead of dialogue, they not only undermine that teaching—they endanger the very mission of healing that defines their ministry.”