Blood Work

When Safeyyah Edwards went to work for the American Red Cross eight years ago, she thought she’d be helping people. Never did she imagine that she’d have to call on others to help herself and her coworkers properly perform their jobs.

As a collections specialist for the Red Cross, Edwards has seen it all: frustrated donors, tired nurses, high turnover and even sick patients.

Edwards, a member of Local 507 in Cleveland, is part of a growing coalition raising concerns about Red Cross’s management system, which often overbooks blood donors while understaffing blood drives. The uneven donor-to-nurse ratio, combined with the Red Cross’ staunchly anti-union attitude, causes unsuitable working conditions for Red Cross employees who are often forced to work long hours with no breaks.

Such conditions put donor safety and blood quality in jeopardy.

“We have to be properly staffed in order to do our jobs. Each procedure has steps and there are thousands of work instructions we must adhere to keep the donor and the blood safe,” Edwards said. “Because of the working conditions, you may feel rushed or you may miss a step. That puts the donor or the product at risk.”

Aside from being forced to perform meticulous work under stressful conditions with no breaks, Edwards has witnessed supervisors intimidate or harass coworkers who wish to file grievances.

“It’s horrible,” she said. “Harassment and intimidation prevents a lot of employees from speaking up.”

And Edwards isn’t alone in her assessments of the Red Cross. According to a report by award-winning labor journalist Philip Dine, between 1996 and 2007, the Red Cross has been charged with 212 labor practice violations by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) found it necessary to intervene 152 times in labor-management conflicts at the Red Cross between 1998 and 2007.

Speaking Up

Now, Edwards and the Red Cross Workers Committee for Blood Safety, a task forced aiming to bring light to workplace injustices at the Red Cross, are taking their concerns to Washington.

Yesterday, Edwards joined Teamsters Public Services Division Associate Director Michael Filler at the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability where they submitted written and oral testimony on the working conditions of Red Cross employees.

The Teamsters, along with nine other unions, are calling for better oversight of the working conditions at the Red Cross by the advisory committee.

“Labor unions that represent workers throughout the health care industry, including the Teamsters, have an unwavering commitment to the safety of our members and their patients,” Filler said. “It is of the utmost importance that Red Cross employees perform their duties under suitable working conditions. This includes adequate breaks and an environment where respect and tolerance are encouraged.”

In testimony submitted to the committee, Filler requested that the advisory committee address concerns raised by frontline workers, appoint a representative from the Red Cross Workers Committee for Blood Safety to the advisory committee and enroll facilities that employ union members in upcoming hemo-vigiliance pilot projects.

Edwards hopes her testimony will be a call to action for the Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability. She wants to see the health of donors and respect for employees put before profit.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer,” Edwards said. “We’re talking about issues that affect public health and safety.”