Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading provider of abortions, has sought the help of the Trump administration in order to prevent an effort by part of their staff to organize a union.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, the organization’s Colorado branch, has asked President Donald Trump and some of the members of the National Labor Relations Board to help them after more than 150 staff at 14 clinics organized against management back in December, Newsweek reported on Sunday.
The staff complained about several issues, among which were working hours and the disproportionate salary they receive compared to how much they work and considering the emotional toll of their job. Planned Parenthood later said it was not opposing its employees’ attempts to unionize but claimed it was helping its employees.
“We are not currently opposing efforts to organize our affiliate; we have asked the NLRB to consider whether all of our employees should be able to participate,” a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Rocky Mountains said.
However, some believe such a move would pose an obstacle to unionization. Amanda Martin, a PPRM employee, pointed out that if their employer really wants to help its employees it needs to stop challenging them.
“If PPRM wants to lift the voices of all of its employees, then it needs to prove it by stopping its effort to silence those that have decided to speak up and organize,” she said. “Now that these Colorado clinics have organized locally, there is a clear path for other workers in our organization to come together in the way they best see fit, and we will support their efforts.”
Planned Parenthood employees say that they only want a “voice at the table” and are calling on the organization’s CEO Vicki Cowart to sit down with them and address their complaints, including “wages, benefits and working conditions.”
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