Union Pickets Red Cross Over Proposed Concessions

http://www.courant.com/business/hc-redcrossunion.artaug06,0,1527233.story

By ZEKE MILLER

August 6, 2009

Dozens of employees and labor activists picketed the Farmington offices of the American Red Cross on Wednesday to protest management demands that they say would limit union negotiating power and remove a requirement that registered nurses be on site for all blood drives.

Members of Local 3145 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees have been working without a contract since spring. They say the Red Cross is making unwarranted demands for concessions from union members.

"Management has never explained to us why they need the concessions they want," said Kip Lockhart, the union's chief negotiator.

The Red Cross, which handles global relief operations as well as the local blood services, reported a $200 million operating loss in 2008, the latest year for which data is available.

"We believe our contract proposals are justified considering the state of our organization and the state of the economy at large," said Donna M. Morrissey, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Connecticut Blood Services Region.

Morrissey declined to comment on the specifics of the negotiations in Connecticut. Union members say management wants to limit the union's ability to negotiate for health care benefits, and to remove what they call a key safety requirement: that registered nurses be on site for all blood drives.

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