Contracts & Bargaining
PPLA bargaining team: from left to right, Matthew Pelc, UNAC/UHCP PPLA Staff Representative; Jeanette Sanfelippo, RN, Bargaining Team Member; Susan Aquino Cobar, NP, Bargaining Team Member; and Woodrow Curry, UNAC/UHCP PPLA Staff Representative. Not pictured: Bargaining Team Members Charlotte Marx-Arpadi, NP; and Genevieve Wong, NP.
Our 10th bargaining session took place on November 28. During the session, management presented counterproposals on Personnel Files, Job Classification Definitions, and New Employee Orientation.
Our team also opened economic bargaining by presenting proposals on Earned Time Off (ETO), Scheduling and Hours of Work, and Years of Service. These proposals include several important economic improvements, including enhanced overtime provisions, reporting pay for procedural shifts, and an accelerated ETO accrual schedule.
The continued solidarity and support shown by members has been critical to our progress at the bargaining table and has helped drive meaningful movement in negotiations. One significant development is management’s agreement to schedule an in-person daytime bargaining session, fulfilling a request our team has been making for several months.
We look forward to this longer bargaining format, which will provide more time to discuss the issues that matter most to members as we continue working toward a strong first contract.
To learn more about the contract campaign and receive a detailed update on negotiations, please join us at our next General Membership Meeting. We encourage all members to attend, stay informed, and remain engaged in our campaign for a strong first contract.
Together, our solidarity continues to strengthen our voice at the bargaining table.
On October 21, the RHCWU bargaining team met with PPLA management for the ninth bargaining session.
The session included an extensive discussion of RHCWU’s request for longer daytime bargaining sessions to accelerate negotiations. The bargaining team reiterated its flexibility and commitment to reaching an agreement, including its willingness to take unpaid time off to meet during normal business hours. Although PPLA expressed interest in longer sessions, management has not provided availability for a full-day session and declined the full-day availability proposed by RHCWU.
PPLA management presented counterproposals on the Gender-Neutral Language, No Discrimination, and Recognition clauses.
RHCWU presented counterproposals on the New Hire Orientation, Duty Free Meal and Rest Periods, and Personnel Files clauses.
After nine bargaining sessions over four months, the parties reached their first tentative agreement (TA). The agreement on the Gender-Neutral Language clause provides for gender-neutral language throughout the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), supporting inclusion for all members.
This tentative agreement marks an initial step toward securing RHCWU’s first contract. Once tentative agreements have been reached on every article, members will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed contract as a whole.
Thank you to all members who have supported the campaign to maintain pressure on PPLA. Your participation—whether by attending the UNAC/UHCP Convention, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Union’s House of Labor Meeting, CA Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez’s Boots & Ballots Event, or by wearing your RHCWU blue scrubs on bargaining days—demonstrates our collective strength. The bargaining team has observed a difference in PPLA’s approach to these sessions, and continued member support remains important. To become more involved in the campaign, please contact your CAT member, a bargaining team member, or staff representatives Woodrow Curry and Mathew Pelc.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for October 28, 2026. Please wear your RHCWU blue scrubs to demonstrate your continued support.
Your bargaining team met with PPLA management on September 16 for our seventh bargaining session. While there has been some movement at the table, we do not believe two-hour sessions held after a full workday are conducive to reaching an agreement efficiently or quickly.
We have asked management to release bargaining team members on unpaid time so that longer bargaining sessions can take place during normal business hours. If management is serious about reaching a deal, they should agree to this request.
If management refuses, we will call on you—our members—to take action and remind Planned Parenthood who is affected by these bargaining delays.
We need to keep the momentum going.
Following this past session, Planned Parenthood management owes counterproposals on 21 proposals, while your bargaining team owes counterproposals on 11.
We will continue to bargain with PPLA in good faith. At the same time, we know that progress at the table is powered by what happens outside the bargaining room—and that’s where you come in.
We want to recognize the members who wore blue and took photos in support of the bargaining team. Seeing your solidarity energized your team and was a powerful reminder that we are not bargaining alone.
Your actions make a difference. One example of what we can accomplish through collective action: Planned Parenthood management agreed to expand bereavement leave to include aunts and uncles.
This may seem like one change in a long list of proposals, but it matters. It shows that when we stand together and push for improvements that support our coworkers and their families, we can move management.
Our next bargaining session is October 9, and we want to make our solidarity even more visible.
🔵 Get ready for our next Blue Day!
We’ll share more details soon. In the meantime, start planning to wear blue, take photos with your coworkers, and show Planned Parenthood that we are Reproductive Health Care Workers United, and we are united behind our bargaining team.
When we stand together, we move the needle.
Follow the team on social media: https://www.instagram.com/rhcwu_unacuhcp/
Your bargaining team met with management for our fifth and sixth bargaining sessions on August 13 and August 20.
The parties continued discussions regarding the current dress code policy and worked to clarify and improve the policy.
Your bargaining team also presented new proposals and counterproposals on the following topics:
Management presented proposals and counterproposals on the following topics:
We continue to meet with management and have not yet reached a tentative agreement on any proposals. As the process continues, we will need to increase pressure with the support and participation of our members. Please attend tonight’s General Membership Meeting on August 25, 2026, at 7:00 PM for more information.
PPLA Bargaining Update: Building a Stronger Culture Together
During our last bargaining session with PPLA, UNAC/UHCP presented our Just Culture proposal, an important step toward creating a safer, fairer, and more supportive workplace.
Our proposal focuses on identifying and addressing the systemic issues that contribute to workplace challenges, encouraging collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement rather than relying primarily on punitive responses to honest mistakes.
We were encouraged by management’s engagement in the discussion and their openness to continuing conversations about contract language that reflects these principles. A Just Culture approach promotes shared accountability, empowering employees to raise concerns and participate in problem-solving while supporting a workplace built on fairness, transparency, and trust.
While no tentative agreement has been reached on this article, we see the conversation as a positive step forward. We look forward to continuing productive discussions as we work together toward meaningful improvements for everyone.
Our next virtual bargaining session is 7/23 at 5:30pm.
PPLA Bargaining Kicks Off with Productive First Session
Your bargaining team met virtually with management to officially launch negotiations for our first contract. The session included introductions of both bargaining teams, with CEO Sue Dunlap participating on behalf of management. Both parties engaged in a constructive discussion and reached agreement on shared bargaining ground rules and values that will guide negotiations moving forward.
The union and management also established scheduling parameters for bargaining throughout the summer, with virtual sessions planned in the coming months and the intention to begin incorporating in-person sessions this fall. Both parties agreed to continue coordinating additional bargaining dates via email.
We are making history with our newest bargaining unit at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. After winning union certification in January, we are preparing for our very first contract campaign.
Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Clinicians working across 23 sites came together to form a union and voted yes by an overwhelming 98%. That strong vote reflects the power of our organizing committee and a shared commitment to winning a contract that secures safe staffing, fair wages, and the respect we deserve.
Planned Parenthood nurses and advanced practitioners joined UNAC/UHCP because of our power and unwavering dedication to our members, patients, and community. With strong political allies and the support of union members across California and Hawaii, we are entering bargaining united and determined — together, we will help forge a new future.
Together, we are fighting for a first contract that strengthens patient care and builds a strong foundation for the future.
Make sure you are getting all the important information that comes along with bargaining our next contract. Memberlink (memberlink.unacuhcp.org) is our UNAC/UHCP member portal for filing a staffing objection, finding educational opportunities, signing up for trainings and conducting other union activities. Login to make sure your information is up-to-date.
If you need help updating your information, please call UNAC/UHCP’s Member Action Resource Center (MARC) at 1-877-506-4554.