WHEREAS:

The American Red Cross (ARC) is a large, widely recognized organization which provides disaster relief domestically and internationally, and is the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, involved in over 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply; and

WHEREAS:
Blood drives are a major revenue generator for ARC, accounting for $2.2 billion in revenues in 2009; and

WHEREAS:
ARC has a troubling track record of protecting the U.S. blood supply.  Since 1993, the organization has been under a federal consent decree to improve blood safety practices, and has been fined $21 million since 2003 for repeated safety failures; and

WHEREAS:
A major factor in ARC’s ongoing problems has been drastic cost-cutting measures which treat blood drives almost as if they were fast-food operations.  ARC has a history of understaffing blood drives, assigning workers regular double shifts, and deskilling staff by trying to replace licensed and experienced personnel with more inexperienced staff; and

WHEREAS:
The ARC’s harsh workplace policies are reflected in its labor relations as evidenced by the more than 200 unfair labor practices filed against ARC between 1998 and 2007; and

WHEREAS:
More than 3,000 ARC workers are represented by AFSCME and other unions.  AFSCME Council 4, Council 5, Council 25, Council 40, and NUHHCE Local 1199 all represent ARC workers; and

WHEREAS:
These affiliates have joined a Red Cross Workers Coalition which also includes the American Federation of Teachers, the Communications Workers of America, the Office and Professional Employees International Union, the United Auto Workers, the United Steelworkers, the Teamsters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, and the Service Employees International Union; and

WHEREAS:
Nine locals in the Red Cross Workers Coalition are working under expired labor contracts.  Some of these agreements have been expired for more than one year.  Eight more contracts are set to expire by the end of June 2010.  ARC is also using delay tactics to stop workers at two locations from obtaining first contracts.  This is all part of a clearly stated union avoidance strategy that ARC human resources has identified as one of its top priorities; and

WHEREAS:
ARC’s bargaining proposals have been designed predominantly to force unions to accept changes to health and retirement plans at the whim of the employer, and to otherwise undercut and erode collectively bargained benefits; and

WHEREAS:
The labor relations history of the ARC includes numerous strikes over the years, and one recent strike by the Teamsters in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS:
Red Cross blood service workers in Peoria, Ill., have sought to affiliate with AFSCME Council 31 but the ARC has stalled NLRB certification; and

WHEREAS:
While engaged in bitter disputes with unions representing its employees, ARC continues to rely on and benefit from the generosity of union members who participate in blood drives.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
AFSCME expresses its solidarity with all Red Cross workers who are seeking to form a union and obtain and retain solid collective bargaining agreements, with fair wages, benefits, and conditions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
AFSCME calls on ARC to comply with federal labor law and bargain in good faith with all unions representing ARC workers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
AFSCME rejects and denounces the explicitly anti-union goal of ARC; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
AFSCME urges affiliates and members to consider donating blood through blood drive operators other than ARC, to send ARC a message that anti-worker policies are unacceptable; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
AFSCME urges affiliates and members to communicate with ARC and with the United Way, in which ARC is the largest participating agency, their concern about anti-union policies; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
AFSCME pledges its support to ARC workers engaged in contract fights with their employer.
 
 
SUBMITTED BY: 
Salvatore Luciano, Executive Director and Delegate
AFSCME Council 4
Connecticut