The vote comes after St. Agnes nurse Jennifer Delaney, RN, with assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, filed a union decertification petition Nov. 15. The National Labor Relations Board conducted the election Jan. 30 and Jan. 31.
“We are proud that we reaffirmed our power and defeated this attempt to weaken our patient advocacy,” Robin Buckner, RN, said in the union release. “We will never stop fighting for our patients, and we will continue bargaining for our first contract to protect our gains and make transformative changes to our hospital.”
Nurses at St. Agnes voted to unionize in November 2023. They began bargaining for their first labor contract in January 2024.
This year, members indicated they voted to recertify their union “because it is critical that nurses have a voice in patient care and working conditions at their hospital,” according to NNOC/NNU, which represents more than 500 nurses at St. Agnes.
An Ascension spokesperson shared the following statement with Becker’s:
“While we are disappointed with the outcome, we will respect our nurses’ decision and remain grateful to the decertification petitioners for their confidence in St. Agnes. We look forward to moving forward together as we continue to provide a positive, respectful work environment and ensure compassionate, quality care for our patients.”
