The Campaign for Safe Blood

Members of  AFSCME Local 3145 are joining Red Cross blood collection employees across the country in an effort to hold the American Red Cross accountable for putting profits ahead of safety and respect. 

Our workers—nurses, laboratory technicians, phlebotomists, drivers and others employed at the organization’s headquarters in Farmington—have formed a national coalition of unionized Red Cross employees. They are determined to improve their working conditions and ensure the safety of donors and the blood supply.

Local 3145 members have worked without a contract since April 2009. They have been speaking out and fighting back in an effort to hold the company accountable for its treatment of workers and donors alike. Public actions -- including informational leafleting, a rally in Washington, DC and a rally in front of company headquarters in Farmington -- have highlighted the Red Cross' anti-union, anti-donor strategies.

In September 2009, The Jobs with Justice National Workers’ Rights Board released a report by noted journalist Philip Dine that raises concerns about donor safety and the security of the nation’s blood supply at the American Red Cross — the nation’s largest supplier of blood and blood products.

In October 2009, Local 3145 members challenged the company’s practice of using unlicensed personnel, instead of licensed nurses, to perform a common type of blood collection procedure. Supporting the union’s position, the State Department of Public Health issued a letter to the Red Cross, stating that the blood collection procedure “cannot be delegated” to unlicensed personnel.

In November 2009, state legislators joined with our members to call out the Red Cross for further putting the blood supply at risk by laying off 19 workers in what our union alleges is an act of retaliation.

On March 3, 2010, the AFL-CIO issued a resolution in support of Red Cross workers nationwide. An excerpt:

"At the heart of ARC’s safety problems are draconian cost-cutting measures that amount to running blood drives like fast-food operations. ARC frequently understaffs blood drives, assigns workers to regular 16 hour days and downgrades its staff by eliminating the most experienced, licensed medical personnel. These labor practices have created a low-morale, high-turnover workplace, increasing the risk of blood safety errors on the job. "

Local 3145 members turned out for a Public Health Committee hearing on March 12, 2010, during which they testified on HB 5451, An Act Concerning the Operation of Blood Drives. Among other things, the bill would require a registered nurse at every blood drive and ban the ARC's practice of giving out managerial bonuses for blood collection. At the public hearing on the bill, Red Cross Northeast Regional Director Dr. Mary O'Neill (who earned $440,000 last year), said enactment of the legislation would force her to lay off workers by moving blood collection to "lower cost" states.

On March 28, 2010, members of Local 3145 voted 161-13 to authorize their negotiating team to join a strike in support of a national coalition of unionized Red Cross blood collection workers. On May 2, 2010, Local 3145 voted · 152-14 to authorize an unfair labor practice strike and 153-14 to reject management's last, best and final offer. The National Labor Relations Board has issued four complaints against the CT Blood Services Region for ignoring our members' legal rights under the National Labor Relations Act.

Rather than try to reach a fair settlement, the Red Cross continues to violate the rights of workers and put donors at risk. On May 11, the company fired two workers who spoke out about unhealthy working conditions at a blood drive in Orange. The company agreed to return the employees to their jobs after our union filed a grievance, a labor board charge and went public with out safety concerns.

On May 21, members of AFSCME Local 3145 gathered with Connecticut AFL-CIO President John Olsen to deliver a 10-day strike notice to the Red Cross.  You can read the press release below. Our members joined more than 1,000 blood drive workers in seven states in serving a strike notice.

From June 2-4, Red Cross workers across the country sent a strong messange by going out on a limited duration strike caused by the employer's violations of the law. We limited our unfair labor practice strike to three days to ensure a safe and available blood supply.

In the latest news, the Food and Drug Administration on June 17 fined the Red Cross $16 million, alleging that the organization had been slipshod in the collection and manufacture of blood products, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The huge fine even drew the attention of Lewis Black on The Daily Show.

For more on the Red Cross, be sure to check out the new website from The Workers Committee on Blood Safety.

Be sure to read Red Cross Mismanagement Puts Blood Supply at Risk. 

And click on our Council 4 FlickR photo gallery for shots from our Safe Blood Campaign.