AUSTIN, Texas — Unionized nurses at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin plan to strike again next week.
Ascension Seton said Tuesday that National Nurses United (NNU) issued the hospital a notice of intent to strike for one day starting at 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Last week, the union delivered a two-week strike notice to hospital management. The nurses have claimed for months that management is not providing them with the necessary equipment and resources they need to take care of patients.
“It's unfortunate that as a nonprofit institution, our administration chooses to prioritize profits over patients,” Matthew Clark, a nurse at Ascension Seton, told KVUE on Nov. 22. “We're here to say that the nurses aren't going to stand for that any longer.”
"I've gone home and either cried in my car or at home, knowing that I could have done better, but I was not allowed to,” added Monica Gonzales, a nurse who has worked for the Austin hospital for 19 years.
Next week's strike won't be the nurses' first. They previously initiated a 1-day strike in June.
Then in August, the nurses walked in on management before a bargaining meeting to express their concerns again, but because of their walk-in, Ascension Seton decided to cancel the meeting. The nurses told KVUE last week that since August, they’ve had several negotiation meetings with hospital management but haven’t come to a full agreement on their contract yet.
“Although we’ve made a lot of progress since our last strike, I feel like we’re not there yet,” Gonzalez said.
On Tuesday, Ascension Seton said it is disappointed in the nurses' decision to proceed with a second strike, saying that "safe, high-quality care remains our top priority."
The hospital said it is prepared to remain open and care for patients during the strike and will do so by contracting with a staffing agency that "specializes in work stoppage events and will provide us access to a full complement of highly skilled and credentialed registered nurses."
Ascension Seton added that regardless of how long the strike is planned for, it is contractually obligated to commit to a minimum of four days of work for any registered nursing staff replaced, starting from the strike's first day. The hospital said any registered nurse who chooses to work on Dec. 6 will not be replaced, but any registered nurse who is not working on Dec. 6 will be temporarily replaced and allowed to return to their scheduled shifts on Dec. 10.
"We would prefer not to have to utilize these extended contracted services, particularly given the current challenges the healthcare industry, including our ministry, is facing, but we must make every provision for ensuring the health and safety of our patients, families, providers and associates," the hospital said.
Ascension Seton said it has been bargaining with the nurses to come to a "mutually beneficial agreement" on an initial contract that supports everyone, and it is 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 a contract for our registered nurses," the hospital said.
Read Ascension Seton's full statement about the second strike.
Read National Nurses United's statement about the strike.