Nurses at St. Francis hospital in Wichita have filed for a union election.
If successful in their union drive, about 625 nurses will form a new bargaining unit with the National Nurses United (NNU).
The NNU is the largest nurses union in the country, with more than 175,000 members. Overall, about 20% of registered nurses in the U.S. are union members.
The Kansas State Nurses Association says there are more than 50,000 registered nurses in the state.
St. Francis is one of the biggest hospitals in the state and is a part of the Ascension Via Christi network.
“We have received notice of the petition and are still evaluating our response to this action,” said Kevin Strecker, CEO of Ascension Via Christi, in an emailed statement to KMUW.
