Battle Between Blood Workers and Red Cross Comes to an End

As we originally reported back in the early days of the year, there’s bad blood between the local American Red Cross and the Teamsters local supporting the non-profits rank and file. A face-off over a number of issues including health plans and safe working conditions finally boiled over into a work stoppage on Valentine’s Day. The strike continued, spreading to other nearby limbs of the blood supply giant, until today.

• Back on the job.

According to a release from the Red Cross, the two sides have come to an agreement. The message reads:

The American Red Cross is pleased to announce that it received notification today (Monday) that a new collective bargaining contract has been ratified with Teamsters Local 507 in the Northern Ohio Blood Services Region.

We are grateful that Teamsters members have agreed to the terms of the new contract and will start to return to work as soon as this week. This union represents 236 blood collection operation employees.

The new agreement is equitable and balanced in achieving the needs of both the Red Cross and Teamsters members, and is sensitive to the financial pressures that health care providers are experiencing in today’s economic environment.

With an agreement in place, we are looking forward to our valued colleagues returning to work and together focusing our full attention on ensuring a sufficient blood supply for the hospitals and patients we serve.

The Red Cross has already reached 21 other agreements with local labor unions since last summer.

This article appears in Jun 13-19, 2012.