Red Cross Workers Fight for Safe Blood, Fair Contract

by Mike Hall, Oct 2, 2009

At the American Red Cross headquarters in Farmington, Conn., the 225 AFSCME Local 3145 members—front-line blood services workers who make sure the blood supply is safe and sound—have been working without a contract since April.

Around the country, several bargaining units are in the same situation. They say the Red Cross is seeking to replace nurses with unlicensed supervisors, force employees to work unrealistic schedules, make workers bear the increased costs of an inferior health care plan and turn blood collection into an assembly line process.

AFSCME Local 3145 is part of a national coalition of unionized Red Cross workers who have united to improve working conditions, along with donor and blood safety supply at the Red Cross.

In Farmington, the nurses, laboratory technicians, phlebotomists, drivers and other workers are engaged in a campaign raising public awareness about how Red Cross puts profits ahead of safety. Says Local 3145 President Debra Lenentine:

The Red Cross is all about big money and bigger profits at the expense of donors and workers.

In Connecticut, Red Cross workers currently are fighting the company’s practice of using unlicensed personnel, instead of licensed nurses, to perform a common type of blood collection procedure.

Last month, the State Department of Public Health issued a letter to the Red Cross stating the blood collection procedure “cannot be delegated” to unlicensed personnel.

Says Melissa Carter, a registered nurse and member of the Local 3145′s union’s executive board:

Red Cross employees are the watchdogs of the blood supply. We will continue to take a stand for public safety.

Click here to read more from Council 4 and a tip of the hat to AFSCME Web editor Clyde Weiss for alerting us to the Red Cross workers’ struggles.

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