Ascension Saint Agnes nurses vote to ratify first union contract in Baltimore

Ascension Saint Agnes voted to ratify its first-ever union contract on Saturday to improve patient safety and nurse retention.

The contract will cover three years for registered nurses at Ascension Saint Agnes, providing staffing improvements, workplace violence prevention language, fair processes, economic gains to help retain and recruit experienced nurses, no mass layoffs of per diem nurses, and successorship protections that protect the contract if hospital ownership changes.

"After four years of aggressive struggle, we are delighted to ratify the first union contract for private-sector nurses in Baltimore," Robin Buckner, an RN in intravenous therapy, said. "The contract provides much-needed protections against unsafe floating, unfair discipline, and workplace violence. We won a grievance procedure, a pay scale, and much more. As nurses, we now have a voice to advocate for safe staffing so that our patients get the best care."

In 2025, nurses staged a walkout for the first time in Baltimore history over concerns about patient care and staffing, after nearly 10 percent of the hospital's nurses left their jobs between April and July 2024.

"Over the long road to secure this contract, we won a lot of victories, from equipment improvements to staffing improvements to raises, through organizing and putting pressure on the hospital," Melissa LaRue, RN in the intensive care unit, said. "Now that we have a contract, we are empowered, ready to hold Ascension accountable to it, and ready to keep up the fight for a hospital that puts patients over profits."  

The contract covers September 2026 to September 2029.