Biomedical Technicians at Georgia American Red Cross Vote to Join USW

Orlando Rawls had experienced the benefits of union membership firsthand in his previous position and was eager to share his experience with his new coworkers. 

Rawls, a biomedical technician at the American Red Cross in Douglasville, Ga., had previously been a member of USW Local 254 when he worked in the facility’s storage and distribution center but lost that representation when he moved to the biomedical equipment department. 

Rawls said bringing his coworkers on board didn’t happen overnight. It took many serious conversations about their shared priorities and the best way to achieve them. 

On top of this, working conditions were changing, and morale started to dip as departments shrunk due to outsourcing. 

“We wanted to stay where we were,” said Rawls. “The individuals I work with have families, and we want to advance in our careers. But we can’t do that if we aren’t part of the union.” 

After months of organizing, the biomedical technicians voted unanimously to join the USW at the end of September. 

Rawls and his colleagues look forward to negotiating fair wages and benefits in their first contract and are excited to have a voice on the job.

“The union was the backing we were looking for,” said Rawls. “We wanted a seat at the table to have our voices heard.” 

The six biomedical technicians join approximately 220 other organized workers of Local 254 in the American Red Cross’ manufacturing, storage, and distribution departments.