Red Cross workers make gains

Workers at the American Red Cross prevented takeaways and made some important national gains in a recent agreement. The workers won cumulative across-the-board wage increases of more than 8% over three years, significant wins on health care and benefits, standard-setting health and safety protections for members, and agreement by the Red Cross to engage collaboratively with the coalition of unions representing 4,500 Red Cross workers on key issues like guaranteed hours and late-end times at fixed sites. “The union members who traveled from across the country to represent their locals at bargaining sessions, and the solidarity demonstrated by the union members who wore buttons and shared photos, made the difference in winning this agreement,” said Wanda Shelton-Martin, Executive Director of Metropolitan District 1199 DC NUHHCE, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, which represents 750 of the workers. Other unions in the coalition: AFT, CWA, IBT, SEIU, UAW, UFCW and USW.

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