Nurses at Kansas City-Area Hospitals Gear Up for Potential Strike

In the face of pressing contract discussions, around 1,000 nurses at Research Medical Center in Kansas City and Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, both located in the Kansas City region, are expressing readiness to strike. At the heart of the disagreement are pleas for increased support and elevated staffing levels as negotiations for a new contract with the hospitals’ owner — HCA Healthcare, a for-profit hospital giant boasting profits in excess of $5 billion — swing into motion.

Union Demands and HCA’s Response to Them

As negotiations began earlier this week, rallying cries of “Put patients over profits” were heard from the nurses picketing outside Research Medical Center. Represented by the National Nurses United (NNU), these health care professionals intend to leverage their bargaining power in order to earn better conditions and more colleagues on every shift. According to the union, 150 nurses resigned from Research last year, while 89 left Menorah, underscoring the urgent need for improved nurse retention policies.

HCA Healthcare responded by asserting the safety and appropriateness of its current staffing at Research and Menorah. In a formal statement, they touted the addition of 842 members to their “nursing organization” in 2023 along with the recent announcement to invest $34.5 million in the Research College of Nursing. Nonetheless, it is apparent from recent developments that the struggle may stretch on before reaching a resolution.

The Strain on Kansas City Nurses

Cheryl Rodarmel, a veteran rehabilitation nurse from Research, attested to the demanding conditions facing the medical professionals. She often cares for up to six patients at a time, a tremendous load that raises concerns about patient safety and quality of care. Nurses like Rodarmel feel “morally injured” every day, a sentiment echoing throughout the increasingly unionized health care industry.

Implications of Increased Unionization

This sentiment of being ill-equipped to provide due care to patients is not unique to the Kansas City area. In fact, it’s a common assertion in an industry that has witnessed more than two dozen strikes around the country in the past year as health care workers unionize in larger numbers to demand change. The leverage they hold at the bargaining table stems from a nursing shortage that has grown more apparent during the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery. The issue has become a towering backdrop to nursing strikes nationwide and a motor driving nurses towards unionization.

Financial Impacts on the Nursing Profession

A 2022 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that between 2009 and 2021, health care workers represented by unions saw improved wages, full premium-covered health insurance and superior retirement benefits. This trend aligns with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report, which indicated a significant increase in the mean annual salary for registered nurses from $68,130 in 2019 to $76,580 in Kansas City in 2022.

Past Strikes and Current Scenario

Nurses from Research and Menorah have previously clashed with HCA. Amid the zenith of COVID-19 in the fall of 2020, nurses at Research filed a complaint seeking improved protocols against the virus. As the current contract expiration looms on May 31, these nurses, along with their counterparts at Menorah, must ramp up their efforts to negotiate beneficial terms — or prepare to strike.