Union: Members Approve Contract with Planned Parenthood of Pacific Southwest

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest employees have “overwhelmingly” voted to approve a three-year agreement to raise wages by 15% over three years, according to union representatives this week.

On Wednesday, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West announced the agreement that raises wages by 15% over a three-year period, increases the minimum wage at clinics to $23 per hour, and improves benefits and working conditions.

The contract will apply to positions such as nurse practitioners, registered nurses, medical assistants, patient advocates and other staff.

According to a SEIU-UHW news release, 550 workers — in 28 clinics across San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties — voted over a two-week period and approved the contract, with 99% in favor.

A Planned Parenthood representative on Friday did not return a request for comment. Last September, Planned Parenthood workers voted to unionize.

SEIU-UHW officials said Planned Parenthood workers “have faced an overwhelming surge in patients from other states seeking reproductive care in post-Roe America,” referring to the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning a nearly 50-year ruling that legalized abortion.

Based on recent reports, PPPSW has seen a 967% increase in patients from Arizona the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, SEIU-UHW officials said. “The strain of accommodating these patients, residual burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic and wages that did not keep up with Southern California’s high cost of living led to exhaustion and high turnover and prompted the workers to organize for better conditions.”

Celia Gomez, a medical assistant at First Avenue Specialty Services in San Diego, said the contract is “a huge win for our patients and for reproductive justice.”

“We didn’t end up working at Planned Parenthood by accident,” Gomez added. “We believe in the mission, and we care deeply about ensuring patients have access to healthcare and safe abortion care. But we are tired and burnt out.

“Fewer and fewer of us can afford to live in the communities we serve, let alone think about retirement,” she added. “With this new contract, we have the tools we need to ensure strong staffing levels, first-rate patient care and good jobs so we can recruit and hold onto the best caregivers.”

According to SEIU-UHW, Planned Parenthood workers on the Central Coast are also bargaining and expected to secure a union contract.