View full sizeStriking Red Cross workers picket Tuesday in front of Red Cross headquarters on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Workers who collect blood for the local American Red Cross went out on strike Tuesday, temporarily halting blood drives as the nonprofit works on a contingency plan.
There is no immediate threat of hospitals running out of blood, Red Cross spokeswoman Christy Sabaka said. It's impossible to say when scaled-back blood collections could cause problems, she said.
"The longer the strike goes, on the bigger the impact," she said.
The Red Cross is considering having supervisors collect blood or bringing in supplies from other chapters, Sabaka said.
The 250 blood collection workers and mobile unit assistants belong to Teamsters Local Union 507 and work in the 19 counties covered by the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Blood Services Region. The union is striking over wages, health insurance and working conditions. Both sides have been negotiating since August, said Albert Mixon, head of the local.
Talks with a federal mediator broke down last week. A date to return to the bargaining table has not been set, both sides said.
"They outright said they were not moving," Mixon said of the Red Cross' position.
The union wants a salary increase, including a $1.50 hourly raise for current workers. Workers also are seeking a health plan that would be less costly.
Mixon said union members would have to pay about $700 a month for the health plan the Red Cross is proposing, vs. $150 now. The union said the agency consistently assigns too few workers to blood drives, often forcing employees to work long hours without breaks.
Sabaka said the contract offered the Cleveland area workers is similar to one approved since July by 16 locals working for other Red Cross chapters across the country.
"The only issue that came up was the health-care benefit," she said of the Cleveland area negotiations. "They were offered the same health care that nonunion members and 25,000 other Red Cross workers receive."
The union set up picket lines Tuesday at Red Cross headquarters on Euclid Avenue and other locations.
Sabaka said people should call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org to learn the status of blood drives. She said the union puts the public at risk by striking.
"It is irresponsible for the union to go on strike at a time when blood supplies are already low," she said in a news release. "In fact, the region was forced to cancel its largest annual blood drive, scheduled for today, due to this strike. This blood drive averages 800 units each year, and the labor disruption may impact the very patients who rely on these blood donations."
Union members said the Red Cross puts the public at risk by not sending enough blood collection workers to drives in order to cut costs.
"Without enough people, we are rushing," said Safeyyah Edwards, a collections specialist, who was one of about 150 walking the picket line in front of Red Cross headquarters. "Without enough time, you are more apt to make a mistake."
Added Chris Henry, a driver and technician: "I'll get a 15-minute break for a 12-hour day."
Mark Harwood, who runs blood drives, said that the Red Cross needs a plan for deploying more workers if more donors than expected show up at a blood drive.
"They sent help at 5:15 when the blood drive was over at 6," he said.
Sabaka said the Red Cross is not intentionally understaffing drives. She said donors often don't confirm that they will attend.