Strike at Philly Red Cross blood services

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Employees who pack and ship blood for the American Red Cross in the Philadelphia area went on strike Thursday over wages and working conditions.

The American Red Cross Blood Services Penn-Jersey Region obtained an injunction against the Teamsters Union in the afternoon to bar picketers from stopping blood shipments. The Red Cross says strikers blocked at least one blood delivery during the day and relented only when told it was needed to save the life of a 2-year-old boy.

The strike by about 110 employees began just after midnight when the union contract expired.

Rocky Bryan, vice president of Teamsters Local 929, said the Red Cross has imposed working conditions that endanger the safety of the blood supply, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. He said some workers have had to put in 50 or 60 days without a break.

Anthony Tornetta, a Red Cross spokesman, said the strike is mostly about money. He said the agency is struggling during the economic slump and has suspended raises for non-union staff members.

"We are simply asking union employees to make the same sacrifices that their non-union colleagues have already made," Tornetta said. "Their refusal to do so remains a significant issue in these negotiations."

Tornetta said some blood drives might have to be postponed.