FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 3, 2024

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Frontline healthcare workers at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW) overwhelmingly voted to approve a three-year agreement that raises wages by 15% over three years, increases the minimum wage at clinics to $23 per hour and implements several improvements to benefits and working conditions. Workers at clinics across San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties voted over a two-week period, approving the contract with a 99% yes vote.

This historic contract marks the first union contract for any Planned Parenthood workers in California. Workers at PPPSW have faced an overwhelming surge in patients from other states seeking reproductive care in post-Roe America. According to recent reports, PPPSW has seen a 967% increase in patients from Arizona following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 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.

“This is a huge win for our patients and for reproductive justice,” said Celia Gomez, a Medical Assistant at First Avenue Specialty Services. “We didn’t end up working at Planned Parenthood by accident. 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. 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.”

Workers voted to join the 100,000 California healthcare workers in SEIU-UHW last September and began negotiating this first contract at the beginning of this year. These frontline healthcare workers might be the first but not the last. Planned Parenthood workers on the Central Coast are also bargaining and expected to be next in securing their union contract.

PPPSW is comprised of 550 workers spread out across 28 Planned Parenthood clinics in Imperial County, Riverside County and San Diego County. This contract will apply to various job classes, including Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Medical Assistants, Patient Advocates and other clinic staff.

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SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers.