Standing with Planned Parenthood Workers: An interview with the unionized workers of Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Workers at Planned Parenthood are dedicated to the cause. Every day they're making sure health centers stay open, abortion stays accessible, and politicians stay accountable to the people we serve: our patients. But now, the workers of Planned Parenthood affiliates, including at Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York, San Francisco, and beyond are asking us to stand with them. We've read the articles about efforts to unionize and social media announcements of new unions popping up with excitement. So many of you have asked us how they did it, so we decided to ask them! Below is our interview with three union organizers at 1199 Union at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. You can also read our interview with the unionized workers of Planned Parenthood Western Pennsylvania.

Name: Leanna B. (she/her) Nancy H. (she/her), Sarah Huck (she/her)

Digital: linktree and website, twitter, TikTok, instagram, email

One of your favorite nonprofits: National Network of Abortion Funds

ReproJobs: Congratulations on the formation of your union, 1199 Union at Planned Parenthood Federation of America! That’s huge news! You’re joining the DC staff at PPFA that unionized back in 2016, but didn’t get fully recognized until 2020 after a four-year delay. Why did you decide to form a union? What are you hoping to accomplish with the union?

NH: Thank you! It took years of collective effort before I joined the NYC, SF union effort so there are so many folks to thank for their volunteer organizing. I wanted to unionize with 1199 because doing so offered staff like myself a way to solidify our labor rights and employee benefits in unprecedented times. I joined PPFA during the pandemic so ensuring staff had affordable health insurance plans and equitable wages were crucial to me. As we work towards our first collective bargaining agreement (CBA), I sincerely hope we can achieve a $65,000 base salary floor for all our current and future staff. Getting the base salary up to $65,000 can do so much for our staff’s wellbeing. Financial stability and job security are directly tied to our health and how we can show up at work.

Anonymous union member: Yes, this is very exciting! As Nancy said, many of my colleagues were involved in the grassroots efforts to organize our workforce before I became involved with the bargaining committee. However, I joined the union efforts with racial equity at the top of mind. As a freelance writer, I’ve covered unions in Chicago and New York, and knew how unions could change workforces for the better. My personal experiences also led me here. After being at Planned Parenthood for a short time before the pandemic, I started to notice that, as a Black woman, my experience noticeably differed from my white counterparts, specifically along the lines of treatment, compensation, and tokenism. I wanted to help create a more equitable workplace. I am dedicated not only to the incredible work Planned Parenthood does, but also to my and my colleagues’ well-being and safety. I think a union is just the next logical step in helping PPFA live the values that we care so deeply about.

ReproJobs: You’ve been blogging about your bargaining experience on your site and the things that you’re trying to secure for workers, who live in New York City, including a $65,000 ($31.25 per hour) wage floor compared to PPFA’s offer of a $43,000 wage floor (about $20 per hour), and a 6% cost of living adjustment for this year and 5% over the next two years, compared to PPFA’s counteroffer of 4% this year and 2-3% over the next two years during a time when inflation is at 7%. (For context, the MIT Living Wage calculator says that a living wage for someone living in the New York City area with no children is $20 per hour, and with one and two children is $38.99 and $49.18 respectively.) Can you tell us what that experience has been like to advocate for economic justice within the reproductive rights movement?

NH: The fight feels intertwined between economic justice and the reproductive rights movement. As an organization, we advocate for people’s abilities to make the best family planning decision for themselves — and that decision is directly affected by economic status. Our staff’s continued viability in both life and work depends on whether or not our management bargains in good faith with 1199 over our economic proposals. It’s an incredibly personal matter, both economic justice and repro rights, and ensuring the values of both movements underscores our first CBA is crucial.

LB: To me, reproductive rights and economic justice are inextricably linked. Income can be directly tied to folks’ ability to plan their futures and their families. A living wage is key to being able to not only take care of children and families, but also to pay for life-saving reproductive health services, including abortion.

ReproJobs: Has the effort to organize the union brought you and your coworkers together in the process? How so?

We actually took inspiration from the PPFA DC Union, when their organizers shared some resources with our New York and San Francisco organizers. They were already holding BIPOC-only spaces, which offered their Black, Indigenous, and People of Color union members a reprieve from the workplace—so we created one too! And it’s a joy to be in community with people who identify similarly and have shared lived experiences. This community energizes me towards the unionizing effort.

 LB: Definitely! Working at such a large organization, it’s been great to collaborate with colleagues that I don’t usually work with. There are so many talented and dedicated folks at this org and in this union. Our conversations have given me some great insight into different aspects of this work, and different perspectives, which is important to drive the work that I do.

ReproJobs: You’re still in the process, but so far, what has been the biggest challenge for you and your crew to get started organizing your union?

NH: We’re currently in the bargaining process with management and having patience is a personal challenge for me, especially when the proposals we’re bargaining on are things that affect staff on an everyday level—like our annual increase, health insurance, paid time off. I trust in the 1199 SEIU team to help our bargaining committee in the process but it is tiring to have consistent hurdles in changing policies while we bargain. The bright side of these frustrations is that it helps to drive collective momentum towards demanding better.

LB: Since this is our first contract, the biggest challenge for me has just been the learning curve in terms of making sure folks in our unit understand the proposals and are up to date on what’s going on. Making sure everyone is able to make informed decisions on votes in a remote environment is tough, because key information can sometimes be missed. But, seeing as though our world is becoming increasingly more virtual, the experience of organizing a union remotely and not being tied to a physical space has felt very empowering!

ReproJobs: For years, we received a lot of questions from staffers at Planned Parenthood affiliates about unionizing and now we’ve been seeing unions pop up at Planned Parenthoods all across the country. What do you think is motivating this wave to unionize at Planned Parenthoods?

NH: The pandemic has shown our Planned Parenthood staff in the U.S. and globally that labor conditions are unpredictable and can drastically change in a matter of hours or days. Having a union contract in place can protect both employees and the organization. Our Planned Parenthood workers are dedicated to the mission of ensuring reproductive healthcare is accessible and affordable for its patients. It makes sense to me that those same staff should have a living wage and employee benefits to be able to make the best family planning decisions for themselves too.

LB: I agree with Nancy. I think the pandemic has laid bare a lot of existing systemic issues in the U.S. workforce. Also, anecdotally, I think there’s something about a global pandemic that really makes one reevaluate their priorities.

ReproJobs: For Planned Parenthood workers out there who are thinking about unionizing their affiliate, what’s the best advice you’d give them?

NH: I would tell these Planned Parenthood workers that their Planned Parenthood national office and affiliate unions are already connected and willing to share ideas and resources. We’re here in solidarity! Reach out!

LB: Learn as much as you can about how other Planned Parenthood unions operate and their experiences in bargaining. Working with our rep at 1199 who has worked at/helped organize other Planned Parenthoods has been so helpful. We’re here for you so if you need us, please get in touch!

ReproJobs: If you were to do the unionizing process over again, what’s something you might have done differently? What can other Planned Parenthood workers learn from your experience?

NH: For folks that may be in virtual bargaining sessions like us, I would suggest considering reframing how you engage your bargaining unit members’ attendance. Something that’s been helpful is reminding people that once upon a time, these sessions would have taken place in person. And we’d be a collective of concerned staff in a room together with management, and we’d have power in numbers. It can be hard to remember how that could have potentially felt for folks so ingrained in virtual life now, but it makes a difference whether your colleagues show up virtually or in person. We have a lot of power and voice as a collective, so log on to bargaining! Even if it’s with your camera off, your colleagues want you there too.

LB: I would probably create spaces for BIPOC employees who are organizing very early on, because it can give people a safer space to talk freely about proposals on issues that would disproportionately affect BIPOC staff, which can inspire participation and lead to a more diverse bargaining committee.

ReproJobs: We’re seeing workers across the country unionize and it feels like we’re in the middle of a labor movement. Why do you think labor rights are critical to reproductive rights? 

NH: We love to see it! The fight for reproductive rights is an exhausting one and we can’t continue the effort with staff that are burnt out, facing oppressive workplace environments, and cannot afford to eat. Taking care of our staff should be a priority in the same way Planned Parenthood strives to take care of its patients.

LB: In a labor market that exists in a country where reproductive health care is under attack, economic equality, and bodily autonomy are mutually reinforcing concepts.

ReproJobs: Why should repro workers organize their workplaces?

SH: The majority of nonprofit and health care workers got into this field because we are dedicated to building a better, more just society. With that passion, we can accomplish a lot, but we can’t pay the bills. Since repro work (especially abortion) is so politicized, there is additional stress of working in a non-stop crisis environment. There is always a new ban, a new restriction, a court ruling. With SCOTUS poised to completely gut the protections provided by Roe v. Wade, the attacks will only intensify. And while the harm is catastrophic to patients, the toll on repro workers in health centers cannot be understated. From medical professionals being forced to deny patients abortions that they are trained to provide, to health center staff coordinating care for frantic patients to travel thousands of miles out of state — the work is not easy. Unionizing helps organizations live their values and prioritize the wellbeing of their employees. We need this now and we will certainly need this as more and more people lose access to abortion.

LB: I believe there is a direct line from economic stability to bodily autonomy, to reproductive health. One of the social determinants of health is income, and intersections between income and race often determine one’s proximity to power. Basically, white, powerful women will always have access to the reproductive health care they need. Organizing in the reproductive health space is another step toward reproductive rights and health equity for all people, including repro workers, whose work is stressful, exhausting, and sometimes traumatic. We need protections that will ensure access to fundamentals like health care, living wages, and child care.

ReproJobs: Anything else you’d like to add?

Keep up with the Planned Parenthood Union effort over on our social media accounts: @PPFAUnionNYC on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter! Please show your public support for our volunteer organizers working towards reproductive freedom, economic justice, and fair and equitable labor rights.