The American Red Cross in Philadelphia, PA, is accusing a local union, Teamsters Local 929, of blocking a blood delivery to a two-year-old girl, whose life depended on the blood delivery.  According to the article, the union members refused to move until they were told about the girl.  As a result the Red Cross got an injunction against the union so they would stop interfering with blood deliveries to hospitals.  The union went on strike December 3 after a failure to negotiate a new contract.

The reason for the strike?  According to the union, unfair labor practices and pay.  But, according to the Red Cross, there have been no unsafe labor practice complaints by the Teamsters Union. The court that awarded the injunction agreed with the Red Cross. 

The Red Cross is struggling, like other organizatios, through the economic slump.  As a result,  non-union workers are under a pay freeze until June 30, 2010.  This has been a major contention during the contract negotiation, and the union refuses to agree to a pay freeze.

“We are simply asking union employees to make the same sacrifices that their non-union colleagues have already made,” said Anthony Tornetta, Communications Manager for the Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Region. “Their refusal to do so remains a significant issue in these negotiations.”

The union workers are covered both by the International Brotherhood of  Teamsters and the SEIU, and being encouraged to strike by the organization Change to Win.  Their mantra?  They will not stop “until every man, woman and child has quality, affordable care they can count on“.

Change you can believe in.