Baltimore nurses announce one-day strike over staffing and safety

Registered nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore have given notice that they will hold a one-day strike on Monday, July 6, saying hospital leaders have refused to address their concerns about patient safety and staff retention. The announcement was made by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) on June 25.

According to the nurses, management has reduced staff hours, making it harder for registered nurses to provide what they describe as optimal patient care. The union said the hospital has framed the cuts as part of a push for greater “productivity,” even as Ascension reported more than $900 million in net profit in the last fiscal year. Nurses said the staffing approach is creating pressure across units and affecting care at the bedside.

The union also said the hospital has been using what it described as unsafe floating practices. In those assignments, nurses who normally work in medical-surgical units are being moved to postpartum and pediatric units, where they may not be trained to care for babies, children or new parents. The nurses said those moves raise patient-safety concerns and do not give staff the support they need to work safely.

“Staffing is the No. 1 issue that our coworkers bring to us nurses on the bargaining team. When we have too many patients, we can’t provide the care we were trained to give,” said Gideon Eziama, RN in the cardiovascular telemetry unit. Eziama said the hospital’s refusal to improve staffing in the contract is troubling and urged management to “put patients over profits” and agree to a fair contract.

The strike is scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 6, and continue until 6:59 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7. Nurses plan to gather at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, 900 S. Caton Ave. in Baltimore, at the corner of the main Caton Avenue entrance by the “Ascension” sign.

The notice follows what the union said was Saint Agnes nurses’ first strike in July 2025. Nurses have been in negotiations since January 2024 for a first contract, but the union said there has been little to no movement on key issues. The hospital has not agreed to a contract that addresses the nurses’ safety concerns, according to the announcement.

The nurses are calling for contract terms that include safe staffing, retention of experienced registered nurses to support safe patient care, and limits on floating assignments that are tied to patient safety. The union said those priorities are central to the dispute and to the nurses’ decision to strike.

Kathryn Blackburn, RN in the labor delivery unit at Saint Agnes, said floating limitations are “incredibly important and incredibly serious.” She said nurses from medical-surgical units were staffing the postpartum unit during the week, even though they did not have the specialization needed to care for babies in vulnerable moments. Blackburn said the hospital’s approach of shifting staff around to save money does patients a disservice and that the hospital would benefit from agreeing to floating protections.

National Nurses Organizing Committee said it represents more than 600 nurses at Ascension St. Agnes. National Nurses United said it is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide.