American Red Cross: National Bargaining

Leaders from our eight unions of the Red Cross Union Coalition met with National Red Cross in Washington DC and reached an agreement to formally enter into national negotiations on some joint issues. This has been an involved process to begin negotiations because this is a significant step and we want to cover all details of what this means for every local union at the table.

Who will bargain the National Agreement? Local and national leaders of the national unions covered by ARC will form the Union Coalition National Bargaining Committee. Local leaders and members from each union will also form the Bargaining Council and Delegates Council to give local input at negotiations.

What Issues Will be Negotiated? The National Bargaining Committee will advocate for important issues that impact all of us. We will come to an agreement with ARC to identify which issues to negotiate on a national level. At this time, we have identified some issues including healthcare & benefits, wages, staffing, and scheduling to negotiate on a national level.

Who will ratify a National Agreement? If the National Bargaining Committee reaches a National Tentative Agreement, we will bring it back to our local union for a ratification vote consistent with applicable local and national bylaws / constitution. We may need a certain number of other local unions to ratify the National Agreement in order for it to go into effect.

What will happen to our local Agreement? If our local and a certain number of other locals vote to ratify the National Agreement, we will adopt all the terms of the national agreement as an addendum or addition to our local contract. If issues are not covered in the National Agreement, we will keep the terms of our local contract.

What Happens If We Do Not Reach a National Agreement? If the National Bargaining Committee does not reach an Agreement, we will go back to local contract negotiations. We will continue to work with other Red Cross unions to support each other and fight for strong local contracts.

We are committed to standing together to bargain a strong contract that will improve our wages and working conditions for all union Red Cross workers across the country. We need every member to stay engaged and involved to make these negotiations successful. Together we represent about 4,000 Red Cross union workers across the country:

American Federation of State and County Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

Communications Workers of America

International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

United Auto Workers (UAW)

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)

United Steelworkers (USW)

Click here to download the flyer (PDF).

Check your Local's website for more updates:

Local 2201 (Virginia to North Carolina)
Local 13000 (Johnstown, PA)
Local 13500 (Wilkes-Barre, PA)