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Red Cross Talks

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As the volunteer chairman of the board of directors of the Red Cross Blood Services of Southern California, I want to shed some light on the current labor negotiation with the Teamsters Union (June 17-18).

The management at the Red Cross is trying to meet its responsibility to the community to assure that this nonprofit organization is financially stable. We seek to reach a reasonable compromise with the union that represents bloodmobile drivers and laboratory personnel. The Red Cross must make revenues balance with expenses. This has proven very difficult in the last several years.

Red Cross management is asking the union for relief from mandatory overtime for weekend work, a position which is consistent with most hospitals and health service organizations that operate on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis. The Red Cross is not asking any employee to take a cut in his or her hourly wage. Rather, it has offered hourly wage rate increases.

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As a physician and former hospital president, I hope the union will discontinue its scare tactics, which have resulted in the cancellation of numerous blood drives.

ALLEN W. MATHIES JR. MD

Pasadena

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