MedStar Franklin Square Nurses Organized for Union
Nurses at the Baltimore hospital are seeking union representation to address staffing shortages and patient care concerns.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Nurses at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore have begun organizing a union to advocate for improved patient safety and better staffing levels. The effort follows reports that the hospital's emergency room wait times have reached an average of 11 hours.
Why it matters
Staff at the facility report that current conditions make it difficult to provide essential care, such as turning patients to prevent bedsores. They aim to secure a contract that establishes mandatory patient-to-nurse ratios to improve both employee safety and patient outcomes.
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center employs over 1,000 nurses who are currently organizing, while St. Agnes Ascension recently ratified a contract offering a 5% to 6% pay increase over three years for its 600 nurses.
The players
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
This Baltimore-based medical facility is the site of the current nurse unionization effort.
St. Agnes Ascension
This hospital recently reached a new contract agreement with its nursing staff.
The details
Nurses are seeking a seat at the table for clinical decision-making to address staffing shortages that have contributed to injury rates exceeding the national average. These organizers hope to replicate successful labor outcomes seen elsewhere in the Baltimore healthcare sector.
Timeline
In September 2026, St. Agnes Ascension hospital nurses successfully ratified a new labor contract.
Market Landscape
The unionization effort at MedStar Franklin Square follows a pattern set by the St. Agnes Ascension nursing contract ratification in the regional labor market. These moves signal a broader trend of nursing staff seeking collective bargaining to improve staffing standards across Baltimore.
Patients may experience continued service challenges, such as the current 11-hour emergency room wait times, while negotiations are ongoing. Any final contract agreement could impact hospital operations and future staffing availability for local residents.
The takeaway
Healthcare workers are increasingly utilizing collective bargaining to address workplace safety and staffing capacity issues. Residents can monitor future contract negotiations to understand potential changes in local hospital staffing and service delivery.
Further reading
Learn more about labor trends in the Nursing Jobs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WYPR.
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