BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Registered nurses at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center rallied Saturday morning, raising concerns about staffing levels, equipment and supplies.
The nurses filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Sept. 10 seeking an election to unionize with the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
The election had not yet been scheduled.
“We are compelled to form a union because we see deteriorating conditions in our hospital,” said Katie Stancil-Ervin, RN in the emergency department, via press release. “In the ER we are seeing patients held for hours without being admitted because there are not enough nurses in the units. We are seeing intensive care unit nurses taking care of three patients at a time, when they should have no more than two patients. We have broken equipment in the operating room that delays care. These chronic problems must be dealt with and MedStar has not been willing to do that. That is why we need a strong union contract to address these patient safety issues.”
ALSO READ | Essex community raises funds for new Chesapeake High School football helmets
The nurses pointed to federal data showing emergency room visits at MedStar Franklin Square averaged 367 minutes in 2025, compared with a national average of 162 minutes.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center averaged 377 minutes.
Nurses accused MedStar Health management of engaging in union-busting efforts and said the nonprofit health system should direct more resources toward patient care.
They said MedStar Health received federal and state funding and tax breaks while reporting more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024 and 2025.
Fox45 News reached out to MedStar Health for a statement, but did not hear back prior to publication.