Planned Parenthood, SEIU reach tentative agreement on 1st contract for union workers in Minnesota, Iowa, Dakotas
MINNEAPOLIS — The country's leading reproductive health care provider and a majority of its newly unionized employees in Minnesota and several other Midwestern states have reached a tentative agreement on its first contract.
Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa (SEIU) announced Tuesday that the agreement with Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS) was reached during their 37th bargaining session, with the final one wrapping up in the middle of the night after almost 14 hours of negotiations.
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Ninety percent of PPNCS's 430 employees in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska voted in favor of joining SEIU in July 2022. Those employees work in nearly 100 different roles at 28 clinics across the upper and central Midwest, according to SEIU.
Union officials say the tentative three-year agreement includes a 15-year wage scale for all union positions with a total wage increase of 11.75% over three years. PPNCS's lowest-paid union workers are also set to see a 17% wage bump in the first year.
The tentative agreement also includes "improvements in healthcare affordability for all members," and "robust language around harassment, equity and racial justice," according to SEIU.
Molly Gage, vice president of human resources for PPNCS, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that her organization is "thrilled" negotiation teams were able to reach a tentative deal.
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"It is a testament to the determination and engagement of everyone at the table," Gage said.
Union employees will have a week to discuss the contract before voting on whether to ratify it.
SEIU says it had also filed unfair labor practice charges against PPNCS, which the National Labor Relations Board has yet to rule on.
NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Jan. 8, 2024.