UFCW 3000 Member Story: Alison DeBoise

Alison DeBoise recording a solidarity video for California Planned Parenthood workers fighting for a union

Alison DeBoise (she/they pronouns) works as an Insurance Biller for Planned Parenthood in Seattle and is an active shop steward at her work location. They talk about how they got involve in being a steward:

After college, I knew I wanted to work for Planned Parenthood because I'm passionate about access to reproductive healthcare for all. I began working at the Bellevue location in the Refill Center mailing patients their medication and became interested in the union after getting to know my coworkers better, attending general membership meetings, and our contract expiring not long after the pandemic started. Other stewards in my workplace inspired me to become a steward because I wanted to be a helpful resource to my coworkers.

Alison is now serving on the bargaining committee for the Planned Parenthood contract during negotiations this year, and has also stepped up to offer solidarity with Southern California Planned Parenthood workers fighting to organize a union with UFCW Local 324 by recording a video to offer those workers solidarity:

Being a part of a union with my coworkers has given us greater power to ask for and get what we need. Better wages, better working conditions, better work-life balance, and better time-off benefits.

We couldn’t agree more with Alison!

UFCW 3000 Member Story: August Silva

August SIlva

August Silva (she/they), is a Patient Access Center Representative and Shop Steward at Planned Parenthood Tacoma. As a trans woman, she has faced a lot of challenges at her previous jobs, many of them coming behind the boss’s door:

I knew I wanted to work for Planned Parenthood because when I started transitioning in the Fall of 2021 and I couldn't think of a place that'd be more accepting of trans people like me than the place I get my hormone replacement care. My previous employer felt like I was taking "too much time off for frankly unnecessary office visits" and I applied the very next day! I love working with transgender patients.

August completed her first steward training this spring, and sees her work at Planned Parenthood and organizing her coworkers as being two sides of the same coin:

I want to do whatever sort of work I can for employees and patients to make sure there are equitable practices for everyone within the organization, and I think being a part of UFCW [3000] gives me the safety to be a voice for transgender employees in states that aren't unionized.

Outside of work, August enjoys listening to Jazz and helping provide mutual aid to unhoused people with Serve The People Tacoma. August is a great example of solidarity in action.

Planned Parenthood Progress at the Bargaining Table

Our bargaining team met with management on Wednesday and made a lot of progress on the language of our contract. We were able to get management to move off of some of their proposals. We have reached tentative agreements around:

• Ability to grieve all levels of discipline.

• Capturing Planned Parenthood’s Paid Parental Leave policy in our contract.

• Notification to the union in advance of any reduction to healthcare or retirement plans.

• Layoff process for workers not assigned to one location (float clinicians & community outreach educators).

• Maintaining seniority if laid off then recalled.

• Clarification to access to benefits during probation period.

• Clarification to vacation cashout at the end of employment.

• Cleanup/clarifications to our Union Security language.

Your Bargaining Team: Charlie King, PAC Rep - Tacoma; Monalisa Baumann, MA - Federal Way; Jennifer Morgan, PCC - Tacoma; Sage Alixander, Insurance Biller - Seattle

We expect to make economic proposals at our next bargaining session on June 8.

There are still a few outstanding issues on the table that we need your input on as we move into the economic part of our negotiations.

Your voices help to bring real stories to the bargaining table. Please fill out the bargaining topics survey here: bit.ly/pp-issuesurvey

Planned Parenthood Bargaining Begins

The path to gain respect at work is a stronger voice and a stronger union at Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood all member meeting

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Planned Parenthood Contract Action Meetings

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Working hard for a fair contract at Planned Parenthood

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Planned Parenthood Bargaining Kickoff

Planned Parenthood - Preparing to Bargain a Fair Contract

Members Stand Up for Their Rights...

Check Your Check

Liquor/Wine Manager Nora Bush from the Sequim Safeway noticed that her Sunday pay was incorrect on her paycheck. It was half the amount it should be on Sundays. She works every Sunday and realized this error dated back 14 months. With the help of her Rep, Nora took all her pay stubs to her store manager. The issue was sent to corporate and Nora received $1,200 in back pay.

Don’t Waive Your Breaks

If you waive your meal and rest breaks, employers will continue to under-staff and many times you are working without pay during that time. Hundreds of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett RNs filled out missed meals/break period forms and turned them into Labor and Industries. Working together collectively the Nurses at PRMCE tracked their missed breaks and are on their way to winning their case, getting reimbursed for the missed breaks and changing their workplace. Contact your union Rep if missed breaks is a problem in your workplace.

All Working Hours ARE Equal

Terri Gorman is currently working in the Deli department at the Bremerton Safeway. She has worked at her store for 9 years accumulating over 11,000 hours. Safeway kept her at $10/hr because they said she had been jumping departments, and her accumulated hours started over each time she changed departments. With the amount of hours she had worked in the store she should be at the Journey rate of pay. Terri went to her union Rep about the new language in the grocery contract that says all hours are equal. Thanks to the new contract and Terri knowing her rights she is now at $15/hr and received $2,500 in retro pay.

Bully Boss Exposed

left to right:  Amanda Tapfield, Linda Johnson, Danielle Wolfe, and Doris Kimball

At Planned Parenthood Contact Center in Tacoma, 20 members have been working for over a year in a hostile work environment due to a bully boss. When their numerous complaints were ignored, they took collective action. With the help of the union, they created a petition with a “Vote of No Confidence” and marched on their boss. Because of the collective action, their voices were heard and an investigation was launched. Management agreed to meet with members to discuss the findings of the investigation and solutions to the problem.

Standing Up for Disabilities

A Courtesy Clerk at the Issaquah Fred Meyer was approached by his manager, in front of customers, to talk about his job performance. He felt ambushed. With his mental disability, he needs support in confrontational situations. His co-worker confidant, was not working that day so he had to leave to seek support. Fred Meyer never called to see what happened, they just told him that he was terminated when he returned to work. When his Steward Mary Stoddard heard her co-worker got fired for an issue relating to his disability, she took action. Mary worked together with the union and got her co-worker his job back. Outstanding Stewards like Mary Stoddard let us know we are not alone in times of trouble.

Seniority Travels

Scott Eddy worked for The Markets and was laid off after the store closed. He remained unemployed for 22 months. When applying at Safeway, Scott informed them that he had been at Journey rate for The Markets. He was hired at Safeway starting at minimum wage. Our Skagit Grocery contract gives Safeway the option to bring in our members at 2 steps below Journey rate if they have been out of the unit for 0-2 years, but not at minimum wage. Because Scott knew his rights under the contract and informed the union we were able to correct Scott’s wages.