Here We Grow Again! USW in District 9

On February 29, 2016 USW Local 254 ratified another American Red Cross Contract. The new local has about 115 members in the manufacturing department located in Douglasville, Georgia.

The campaign began in August of 2014. The unit was originally voted in October 2014 and won by a margin of 2 to 1 margin (75 – 36). The Negotiation Process began in January 2015.

Manufacturing Department
Negotiation Committee

Due to the American Red Cross notifying 9 unions of their financial state they asked all 9 Unions to temporarily cease all local negotiations and help them with a Master Agreement that we began negotiating in March of 2015 and ratified September 30, 2015. During this timeframe a very small group of disgruntled anti-union employees, with the assistance of management, petitioned for a decertification.

On December 4, 2015 another election was held and the Steelworkers prevailed overwhelmingly by a margin of 7 to 1 (89 yes to 12 no).

USW Locals 254 and 9287 have formed a partnership to organize the Mobile, Alabama Unit. We have an election scheduled for March 8. This will increase USW Local 9287 by approximately 25 members.

We also have another small election that only consist of two members scheduled for March 10 in Valdosta, Georgia.

Listed below is the Manufacturing Department Negotiation Committee.

Hospital Service Tech – Perry Smith

Component Lab Tech – Vermeshia Lewis

Local 254 President – Darryl Ford

Quality Control Tech – Alex Burns