I would think that if they go union the costs to the women who use Planned Parenthood will go up.
And, even if a union were able to secure a slightly better wage for the employees, how much of that would be eaten up in union dues?

Sometimes the threat of a union is better than actually having one.

And sometimes having a union is better than not having one.

As a former employee of PP of Columbia-Willamette, I can say that the agency relies on the personal dedication of employees to make reproductive health services accessible, in lieu of decent wages or benefits.

The Portland chapter is also a notoriously bad place to work. Lots of turnover and poor leadership at the executive level. I don't know if unionizing would improve things or not.

This is all well and good, as long as they don't let the fetuses unionize.

Yay!!!! Planned Parenthood staff: I am so proud of the work you do and am excited to hear you are organizing. When we stand together, we win!

This is so sad. In small business and non-profit small business, unionization drives represent a failure of communication between workers and management. Progressive Donner Party.

Does this organizing drive include PPCW's paid canvassers? Streetcorner fundraisers for Planned Parenthood, Greenpeace and others are today's sweatshop laborers.

Right on, Planned Parenthood workers! This is great news! Every working person should have a union. I am sure that Planned Parenthood can only get even better when the amazing, caring, dedicated people who work there get to share their ideas and have more input into decision-making.

@Euphonius: The paid canvassers work for a company called Dialog Direct. Next time one of their employees accosts me on the street, I'll start a dialog with them about why they should unionize.

Awesome!!! It's about time!

Reproductive health workers, and in a union? If only they were also Hispanic and rode bikes, they would represent the ur-enemy of every OregonLive commenter.

Congrats to PPCW workers, who are now unionized!

Not so good for the 43 people who voted no... Now they have to join a union they do not want to belong to and are forced to pay dues they cannot afford. Not to mention the rest of the PPCW employees that are not eligible to be in the union who will now have to deal with this new union regardless.

I have no doubt that SEIU is a good organization but PPCW is a non-profit organization and the wage increase freeze is due to republican attacks on women's healthcare and the loss of funding we have seen all around the country, as well as the economic downturn which has dropped the number of donations to PPCW.

SO while SEIU promises its new members wage increases to cover their new union dues we must stop to ask where this extra money is going to come from seeing as how most of their money is from donations. Seems to me it will ether land on the backs of all the non-union workers at PPCW or it will land on the low income clients at the check-out counter which is 180* opposite of PPCW’s mission in the first place.

Also David Greenberg has been very fair and understanding with all PPCW employees and even the very pushy SEIU. There has never been a reason for them to act that way as many in our community will testify to David's Kindness and accessibility. David has always been open to talk to any employee at anytime and these people are just upset he has to give them the same answer each time.

One last question, When the SEIU finds out that you really cannot get blood from a stone what will be their next move? Will they call a strike and send all those PPCW employees out to picket PPCW right next to all those people holding up gross mutilation signs while low income clients go without healthcare? Isn't that a bit dangerous? Will they trash PPCW in the media like they are doing already giving the anti-choice movement even more ammo to attack PPCW with?

This vote has the potential to tear PPCW right down the middle...