By Fay Li/WILX.com
On Sunday, the Red Cross continued negotiating with the two unions representing the workers who gather and transport blood donations. Union leaders had issued a notice to strike, set to begin on Wednesday, September 21. It’s the third strike notice issued within 15 months. However, on the second day of a four-day negotiation, the unions rescinded their notice to strike, saying the Red Cross has started to bargain.
“They have shown us something very important. They got down to their key operational issues and in that proposal it did not include taking away our staffing and safety issues,” said Lance Rhines, OPEIU Union representative.
Representatives from both sides have been negotiating in the Great Lakes Region for more than three years, but no resolution has been reached so far. Issues still on the table include wages, working conditions and health benefits, but both sides say they are making progress.
http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/Unions_Rescind_Notice_to_Strike_130092838.html