Red Cross Blood Workers Strike

Red Cross blood service workers in Connecticut and seven other states are due to strike Wednesday, as a dispute over contract terms continues. WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.

The employees who staff blood drives across the state have been working without a contract for more than a year now, as negotiations with the Red Cross have grown increasingly tense. The union representing the workers, AFSCME local 3145 says the biggest issue is safety at blood collection centers where they say the Red Cross has reduced supervision by registered nurses. They’re also protesting proposed changes to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices.

But the Red Cross says safety is still its highest priority and the non-profit claims workers are more concerned over pay and benefits packages. There will be picket lines at Red Cross chapter houses in Norwalk and Farmington where union representatives expect around 200 workers to participate in a protest.

For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.