Baltimore Nurses Secure First Union Contract with Patient Safety Focus

New Agreement Enhances Patient Safety and Nurse Retention Measures

In a significant development for healthcare professionals in Baltimore, registered nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes have successfully ratified their inaugural collective bargaining agreement. The three-year contract, approved by a substantial majority, marks a pivotal moment for the nursing community at the hospital. These nurses are represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

"After four years of aggressive struggle, we are delighted to ratify the first union contract for private-sector nurses in Baltimore," stated Robin Buckner, an RN specializing in intravenous therapy. "The contract provides much-needed protections against unsafe floating, unfair discipline, and workplace violence. We won a grievance procedure, a pay scale, and much more. As nurses, we now have a voice to advocate for safe staffing so that our patients get the best care."

Key Aspects of the Contract

• Improvements in Safe Staffing: The contract prohibits floating nurses to units outside their clinical expertise, establishes a Professional Practice Committee and a Staffing Issues Committee, and eliminates mandatory overtime.
• Prevention of Workplace Violence: Measures include immediate availability of security support for nurses and protections against disciplinary actions for reporting safety concerns.
• Fair Treatment Processes: The agreement includes a grievance procedure with the right to arbitration, ensures just cause and progressive discipline standards, and guarantees union representation rights.
• Economic Benefits: To attract and retain skilled nurses, the contract includes a 5-6% pay increase over three years. Since unionizing in 2023, nurses have experienced cumulative raises up to 34% due to union advocacy.
• Job Security for Per Diem Nurses: The contract ensures no mass layoffs of per diem nurses, countering initial proposals by Ascension.
• Successorship Protections: The agreement safeguards contractual terms even if hospital ownership changes.

Melissa LaRue, an RN in the intensive care unit, expressed, “Over the long road to secure this contract, we won a lot of victories, from equipment improvements to staffing improvements to raises, through organizing and putting pressure on the hospital. Now that we have a contract, we are empowered, ready to hold Ascension accountable to it, and ready to keep up the fight for a hospital that puts patients over profits.”

This newly ratified contract will be in effect from September 2026 to September 2029, impacting over 600 nurses at Saint Agnes.

National Nurses United stands as the largest and most rapidly expanding union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, boasting over 225,000 members nationwide. The affiliates of NNU include the 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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