Union nurses returned to work Sunday at Ascension Via Christi hospitals in Wichita after a one day strike that was held Wednesday.
Members of National Nurses United held the strike at the St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, along with an Ascension hospital in Austin, Texas. The one-day walkout led to four days off the job because Ascension said it was contractually obligated to provide four days of work to replacement nurses.
Nurses had a back-to-work event at 6:30 Sunday morning. As the nurses negotiate a new contract with Ascension, they have claimed unsafe working conditions with equipment and staffing needs at the hospitals.
Ascension officials have expressed disappointment over the one-day walkout and said that safe, high-quality patient care remains a top priority. They said they are committed to bargaining in good faith and that differences are best resolved at the bargaining table.
