The Missouri Jobs with Justice Workers’ Rights Board released a report today on the steps of the Red Cross Blood Services headquarters in St. Louis that raises concerns about donor safety and the security of the nation’s blood supply at the country’s largest supplier of blood and blood products.
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The investigative report, which also details the treatment of Red Cross employees and the impact this has on the organization’s work, underscores the need for a new round of reforms at the troubled organization.
“Few national institutions have a prouder name or a more storied history than the American Red Cross,” writes Philip Dine, an award-winning labor reporter and the author of the report. “But many frontline blood workers see the Red Cross as an employer that is increasingly determined to cut expenses and increase revenues, even to the potential detriment of donor safety, employee wellbeing and the security of the nation’s blood supply.”
Among the practices detailed in the report that jeopardize donors’ safety and the integrity of the blood supply detailed are:
- Lengthy hours of service for front line blood workers that workers themselves say lead to fatigue and mistakes.
- A sharp reduction in pay for Red Cross front line blood employees that has led to dramatic increases in employee turnover, resulting in less experience and training in key positions.
- What appears to be a purposeful misrepresentation of non-medical personnel as certified nurses.
- These conditions may have contributed to cardiac episodes, head injuries (after a donor fainted) and unnecessary bruising caused by improper insertion of needles.
- Employees threatened with retaliation if they reveal such practices.
Our blood supply is too important to cut corners!
