Following a tumultuous year of “unprecedented challenges” and “political attacks,” health care workers at Wisconsin’s Planned Parenthood clinics have voted to unionize.
The ballots tallied Thursday morning at the National Labor Relations Board office in Milwaukee were 56 to 13 in favor of joining the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals (WFNHP) Local 5000. WFNHP, part of the American Federation of Teachers healthcare division, represents nurses, clinical lab scientists and other health care workers at health systems throughout the state.
Two ballots were challenged but will not be counted because they would not change the outcome of the election. The parties have five days to file objections before the results are certified, obliging the parties to begin bargaining.
“With the care of employees and patients at the center or our collective work, we intend to build a good working relationship as we navigate the next steps together in support of our employees,” said Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin president Tanya Atkinson and WFNHP president Connie Smith in a joint statement Thursday night.
“We thank employees for voting and look forward to bargaining in good faith to ensure Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin continues to provide excellent patient care.”
“We’re looking forward to having a seat at the table with management in decisions that affect our day-to-day clinic lives,” said Delia, a health care assistant at Planned Parenthood’s Madison clinic, the day before the tally. Citing safety concerns tied to the political controversies surrounding abortion, workers gave only their first names.
“Myself and all my coworkers are very passionate about the work that we do, but we also get burned out really easily. We’re hoping this is a step in the right direction so we can continue to provide patient care while also creating a really positive work environment.”
A union contract would enshrine clinic policies and procedures and make them “legally enforceable,” said WFNHP executive director Jamie Lucas. “The workers organized because they believe in the mission of Planned Parenthood and they want to make it a long-term sustainable and viable organization.”
Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.
The union will be made up of around 135 workers who care for patients at Planned Parenthood clinics across the state. That includes nurses, clinicians, nurse practitioners, health care assistants and patient navigators. Around a dozen workers across the two Madison clinics will be eligible. Under federal law, employees with management or supervisory responsibilities are not eligible.
Workers organize post-Roe v. Wade
Last month, workers presented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin with union authorization cards signed by a majority of the eligible workers and asked management to voluntarily recognize their union. The organization turned them down, opting to request an election through the National Labor Relations Board instead. Management told the union that it would not interfere in the unionization effort or contest the results of the election, Lucas said.
“We work tirelessly to protect and advance the rights of the communities we serve to have access to the full scope of sexual and reproductive health, and to have the agency to make their own decisions," the organization told news outlet WisBusiness in January. "This value is no different when it comes to employees and their right to organize a union in their workplace. "
The Wisconsin vote follows unionization efforts at other Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Staff at clinics in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, represented by another American Federation of Teachers union, ratified their first union contract in 2021.
More clinics have voted to unionize following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs ruling, which effectively struck down the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision and made abortion illegal or in limbo in many states. Workers at Massachusetts clinics, along with workers at Planned Parenthood North Central States (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota), voted in SEIU Healthcare unions last year. In both cases, workers said they were seeking protection and power in a changing legal environment.
“As we move forward into what will be a challenging time, having this union will ensure that all of our voices are heard … especially in states where we know increased restrictions, bans and attacks are coming,” Iowa union member Ashley Schmidt said in a May 2022 press release.
In Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood clinics stopped offering abortions for months but resumed late last year after a Dane County judge determined that the state’s Civil War-era law many thought banned the procedure does not prohibit voluntary abortions. The legal battle continues, and the case will likely be taken up by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Unionizing will help the clinics in “weathering the storm,” the Wisconsin union argued in a January press release. “At a time when both Planned Parenthood and organized labor have faced political attacks, this groundbreaking unionization (at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin) represents a critical step towards fortifying the strength of both.”
Note: This story has been updated to include a joint statement from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and WFNHP.
