CWAers, Five Other Unions in Unfair Labor Practice Strike at Red Cross

Members of CWA Local 1122 in Buffalo are engaged in an unfair labor practice strike at the American Red Cross, citing the organization's record of labor law violations and its refusal to negotiate a fair contract.

CWAers are not standing alone. Members of AFSCME Local 3145 in Connecticut; Teamsters Local 580 and Office and Professional Employees Local 459 in Michigan; UFCW Local 75 in Ohio; SEIU 1199 in West Virginia, and SEIU 721 in Los Angeles also are participating in the strike action.

Local 1122 represents 160 Red Cross workers in Buffalo who have been working without a contract since May 2009.  CWA has filed several unfair labor practices charges against the Red Cross over serious contract violations. The Red Cross drastically changed workers' health care coverage, eliminated retiree health care, eliminated the defined pension benefit for new hires and eliminated the company's match to the 401k plan, all without bargaining over the changes, which labor law requires.

The NLRB has issued complaints on all four charges and a trial will be held soon. The last contract offer by the Red Cross was overwhelmingly rejected by CWAers, in a 91 percent vote. In that offer, the Red Cross demanded that CWA drop all unfair labor practice charges against the company.

Separately, members of Local 13500 in northeastern Pennsylvania are continuing to bargain with the Red Cross; that contract was extended to June 8. Big issues are the company's demand for health care cost shifting and pay treatment for last minute changes in scheduling and weekend work assignments.