Media Advisory for May 29                                                Contact: Eddie Vale – 202-637-5018 

AMERICA’S WORKERS TO TELL THE RED CROSS:

DONOR SAFETY COMES FIRST

Red Cross Management is Mistreating Their Employees and Jeopardizing the Safety of Donors 

On Friday, May 29^th, from 12:00pm-2:00pm America’s workers will tell the Red Cross that donor safety must come first.  Workers will conduct an informational picket asking the Red Cross to uphold their obligation to protect blood safety and treat workers fairly.  The demonstration will not interrupt normal Red Cross blood drive activities.    

For 15 years, the Red Cross has been under a federal court order to improve its blood donor operation.  Despite $21 million in fines since 2003, it continues to fall short.  These problems are exasperated by high turnover among employees, many of whom are paid little better than minimum wage. 

Now to boost profits the Red Cross is trying to force employees to work unlimited hours, replace nurses with unlicensed supervisors, slash workers’ health care, cut or freeze wages, and treat donors like cash cows rather than heroes. 

Who: National Red Cross Committee for Donor Safety – Teamsters, AFSCME, OPEIU, SEIU and CWA. 

What:  Informational Picket at the Red Cross’s Headquarters. 

When:  Friday, May 29^th, from 12:00pm-2:00pm. 

Where: Red Cross Headquarters, 2025 E Street, N.W. 

Note: There will be additional grassroots events happening in Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, CT from 1-4pm; at 786 Delaware Ave, Buffalo NY from 4:30 - 6pm; American Red Cross blood services regional headquarters in St. Louis and at blood drives around the state in Missouri; and at 1800 E. Grand River & 1729 Saginaw in East Lansing, Michigan. 
 

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