Unionists Link Red Cross Mistreatment Of Workers, Blood Supply Problems
WASHINGTON (PAI)--Hundreds of unionists, marching, chanting and accompanied by the labor movement’s Giant Rat, linked the Red Cross’ mistreatment of its workers with the famed charitable organization’s problems in monitoring and housing the nation’s donated blood supplies.
The May 29 protests, at Red Cross headquarters in Washington and in St. Louis and other cities were designed to call attention to Red Cross demands for wage cuts and huge health care increases from its workers, despite its billions of dollars in profits.
Members of AFSCME, the Communications Workers, the Office and Professional Employees, the Teamsters and SEIU -- all of whom represent Red Cross workers nationwide -- marched.
“We’re saying they don’t have qualified staff for the blood supply” due to the federally chartered organization’s mistreatment of workers, OPEIU President Mike Goodwin, who led the D.C. protest, said. “They’re also doing concessionary bargaining, covering 35 items in the contract.”
Individual workers made the linkage between the mistreatment of workers and the agency’s mishandling of the blood supply. The federal government has fined the Red Cross millions of dollars in the last several years for its failure to adequately monitor and store blood needed for emergencies and for surgery. The agency has also been through an executive merry-go-round.
“They’re in a highly regulated environment to keep the blood supply safe,” explained Lance Rhines of OPEIU Local 459 in Lansing, Mich. “But they’re trying to get rid of the licensed nurses at the blood drives.” Those LPNs use their expertise to make sure the donated blood is safe to use, he explained.
The Red Cross is trying to get rid of those qualified union workers by demanding an 85% cut in its pension contributions for them and demanding that nurses share a rising percentage of health care costs, he added. That drives experienced workers out.
“They’re trying to use the economy as an excuse to get concessionary contracts” from the unions, added Frank Hornick, the long term care coordinator at the Red Cross facility in Huntington, W. Va., whose workers are represented by SEIU District 1199. “It’s easy to take a pay freeze” -- as the Red Cross is demanding of its workers -- “when you make $500,000 a year, as CEO Gail McGovern does,” Hornick added.
The Red Cross had no comment on the protests, whose march took the entire length of the 2-block sidewalk in front of its headquarters, and edged into the street.