Headline News
National Red Cross Negotiations Begin
Last week, leaders from eight national unions met with representatives from American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., and reached an agreement to formally enter into national negotiations. This is a significant step in ensuring Red Cross’ mission and its employees are moving towards a brighter future.
We are committed to standing together to bargain a strong contract that will improve wages and working conditions for all union Red Cross workers across the country. We need every member to stay engaged and involved to make these negotiations successful. Together we represent over 4,000 Red Cross union workers across the country.
In order to better explain this process and what this means for every local union at the table, see our questions and answers below:
Who will bargain the National Agreement? Local and national leaders of the national unions covered by ARC will form the Union Coalition National Bargaining Committee. Local leaders and members from each union will also form the Bargaining Council and Delegates Council to give local input at negotiations.
What Issues Will be Negotiated? The National Bargaining Committee will advocate for important issues that impact all of us. We will come to an agreement with ARC to identify which issues to negotiate on a national level. At this time, we have identified some issues including healthcare & benefits, wages, staffing, and scheduling to negotiate on a national level.
Who will ratify a National Agreement? If the National Bargaining Committee reaches a National Tentative Agreement, we will bring it back to our local union for a ratification vote consistent with applicable local and national bylaws / constitution. We may need a certain number of other local unions to ratify the National Agreement in order for it to go into effect.
What will happen to our local Agreement? If our local and a certain number of other locals vote to ratify the National Agreement, we will adopt all the terms of the national agreement as an addendum or addition to our local contract. If issues are not covered in the National Agreement, we will keep the terms of our local contract.
What Happens If We Do Not Reach a National Agreement? If the National Bargaining Committee does not reach an Agreement, we will go back to local contract negotiations. We will continue to work with other Red Cross unions to support each other and fight for strong local contracts.
If you have further questions regarding national negotiations, please email us at arcteamsters@gmail.com.
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