Red Cross Says Strike Seems Unavoidable

A strike by about 80 bloodmobile drivers and laboratory personnel working for the American Red Cross in Southern California appeared “unavoidable” Sunday evening, a Red Cross spokesman said.

The spokesman, Rick Davis, said workers represented by Teamsters Union Local 63 could go off the job as early as this morning after the union failed to respond to a contract offer made Thursday. Union officials had promised to tell the Red Cross over the weekend if the workers had decided to ratify the terms, Davis said, but no call had been received.

“We expect a strike to begin by morning,” he said.

Union officials could not be reached for comment. There was no answer at the union’s offices in Rialto and Montebello.

In Orange County, several Red Cross employees who drive bloodmobiles and are represented by Teamsters will be affected by a strike, if one is called, said Patrick Baker, the county’s chapter manager.

Baker said he didn’t anticipate any problems with Red Cross operations.

“There’s more than an adequate supply of blood to meet more than the anticipated need,” Baker said.

The chief executive officer of the Red Cross in the Southland, William D. Nicely, said that even if there is a strike, the blood supply will be “more than adequate.”

“Furthermore, the blood supply is safe and will continue to be safe,” he said. “We currently have more than 100% of our normal inventory of blood and blood products.

“There also is a very good supply of blood around the country, and the local region will obtain more blood through a resource-sharing program with other Red Cross blood regions.”

The Red Cross acknowledged that the threat of a strike has led to the cancellation of 18 blood drives in Southern California.

In a recent letter to blood drive sponsors, a union representative, Meline Hall, accused the Red Cross of engaging in a “campaign to destroy our members’ ability to maintain a decent standard of living.”

The letter said that after Sunday “our union will have no choice but to commence lawful informational hand billing and possible picketing at donor and recipient sites.”

Hall charged the Red Cross with numerous violations of federal labor laws.

Only 80 of the Red Cross blood service’s 740 employees are union members, but many of these play key roles as drivers.

Among the issues in the labor dispute has been a Red Cross move to limit overtime pay and no longer be required to pay overtime for any weekend work. In addition, in negotiating sessions, the Red Cross sought to limit differential pay for swing and graveyard shifts.