American Red Cross Workers Air Their Grievances

American Red Cross workers aren't happy these days, at least according to a piece from the Guardian that details their grievances. Chief among them: low pay, inadequate staffing, and a general lack of appreciation. The Guardian's report comes as the Coalition of American Red Cross Unions, which represents just shy of 5,000 workers, is pushing for contract changes ahead of a March 31, 2022, expiration date. Last month, Alexis Zebrowski quit the job she had held for a year with the Red Cross. She says the blood drives she ran were so undermanned that she typically worked at least an hour longer than her scheduled 10-hour shift and was unable to take breaks. And then there's the pay. "I can go work at any fast food restaurant and make more money," Zebrowski said.

"They don’t want to give us a raise or even acknowledge anything we do for the company. It’s a slap in the face to work for the amount of money we are working for." An American Red Cross employee in Illinois says the charity has tried to staff up by offering new hires $1,500 sign-on bonuses and higher pay, meaning they're making more than long-time employees. "That’s a major slap in the face to the current staff that have worked through this whole pandemic and not been offered anything but pizza," she says, noting that workers are not always paid when they are forced to quarantine due to COVID exposure on the job. Meanwhile, WJLA reports the Red Cross is currently warning that it's experiencing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade and badly needs donations. (Read the full story for more.)