SAN DIEGO — Planned Parenthood workers across Southern California say working conditions have grown challenging following the Supreme Court ruling last year that led to bans or tighter restrictions on abortions in other states.
Workers say they're overworked because of the increase in demand for care. That, along with other issues, has led to form a union. An overwhelming majority of workers voted in favor of forming a union. They won their election last month and are now calling for better working conditions.
“We want to have a say in how our workplace is run," said senior training specialist at Planned Parenthood, Alex Scordato.
Hundreds of healthcare and administrative workers from Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest facilities have unionized to combat what they say are unfair labor practices. They represent a variety of job classes, including nurses, clinicians, medical assistants, non-licensed administrative staff and more.
“We represent patients in Riverside, Imperial and San Diego Counties. This was not an easy thing to do but it was much needed," said Scordato.
Workers say they are overwhelmed with a surge of patients coming from other states seeking reproductive care.
“We’ve seen an increase in patients seeking abortions and reproductive services and we’ve also seen an increase in patients coming from out of state," continued Scordato.
Scordato, a union organizer, says about 10% of its patients have come from out of state.
He says the work has increased dramatically and has led to staff suffering from burnout, which he says has affected patient care.
Workers are asking for better pay and more paid time off.
“As a health provider in San Diego, It’s not cheap to live here and pay is not keeping up with inflation. We’re doing this not to just benefit ourselves and get better pay but also make sure our clinics can safely provide the care that is becoming more and more restricted around the country," added Scordato.
In a statement, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest says that “now that the election has been certified by the National Labor Relations Board, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest will negotiate in good faith.”
Right now, the union is in the process of putting together what they want to bring to the negotiating table.
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