Union nurses are planning a one-day strike in December at two Wichita hospitals, but they may be off the job a little longer because of a contingency plan that the hospitals will put into effect.

National Nurses United has announced the strike for Wednesday, December 6th at 7 a.m., concluding on Thursday, December 7th at 7 a.m.   The strike will affect Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph in Wichita.    There are close to 1,000 nurses in the union and they have been negotiating their first contract.  They have raised concerns over safety and staffing.

Ascension Via Christi released a statement saying, “We are disappointed NNU has made the decision to proceed with its second strike this year, once again creating unnecessary uncertainty for our associates and their families, and concern for our patients and their loved ones.”

Ascension officials said they have contracted with a staffing agency that specializes in work stoppage events, and that will provide access to a full compliment of highly skilled and credentialed registered nurses.   They said the hospitals are required by contract to provide a minimum of four days of work for the replacement nurses, regardless of the planned length of the strike.   Registered nurses who choose to work on December 6th will not be replaced, but any registered nurse who is not working will be temporarily replaced and will be able to return to their scheduled shifts beginning December 10th.

The hospital’s statement went on to say,  “Ascension Via Christi has been bargaining in good faith with NNU to come to a mutually beneficial agreement on initial contracts that support all, and we are committed to not canceling any scheduled bargaining dates. We believe that differences are best resolved respectfully at the bargaining table, and look forward to continuing to work together to reach agreement on contracts for our registered nurses.”