Red Cross Workers Back on Job With a New Contract

About 80 Orange County-based employees of the American Red Cross returned to work this week after ending a seven-week strike over a contract dispute.

The Red Cross and the striking employees, members of Local 535 of the Service Employees International Union, recently ratified a three-year contract that replaces one that expired March 31. About 230 nurses and medical assistants belong to the regional union, and about 80 of those are based in Orange County, officials said.

The contract ends a seven-week standoff in which the Red Cross imported blood to make up for shortfalls in collection, officials said.

“Blood collection was very much diminished in the [Orange County and Los Angeles] area,” said Judy Iannaccone, spokeswoman for the organization’s Orange County chapter, based in Santa Ana. “We usually collect 1,000 units in a day, and we were collecting only about 100 units.”

Red Cross centers in Los Angeles and Orange counties were open but did not have enough staff to accept blood donations in most cases, officials said.

The contract issues under dispute included minimum work hours for a blood drive that is canceled or shortened, pay for mileage and other issues.

Officials said the Red Cross is now actively seeking donors and will soon resume its bloodmobile drives.

“Our blood supply is excellent, but we have been relying on other Red Cross blood regions for support,” said William D. Nicely, a Red Cross director. “Now we need to gear up and begin once again to collect blood from local residents for patients in our hospitals as quickly as possible.”