Lab technologists at Canadian Blood Services (CBS) in Hamilton are back at work after eight days on strike, and nobody is happier than the technologists themselves.

When we started out, our goal was to bargain a way to protect the quality and safety of the blood supply. We wanted to bargain a contract that would give us, the professionals, a real voice on blood safety issues.

Now we have that voice. Under a new clause in our contract, CBS management must review and respond to our professional issues at the highest level. We call the new clause the "Professional Practice Protocol."

Going on strike was never our first choice. Lab technologists don’t fit the popular image of the militant trade unionist. We wear white coats to work. We use words like "immunohematology." Our work is behind the scenes.

We knew our strike would have an impact, and it did. As reported in the Spectator, CBS had to throw out a quantity of blood platelets on at least one occasion during the strike – likely more than 30 units. Without the 41 Hamilton technologists, CBS simply could not (and cannot) process blood quickly enough.

The Hamilton blood collection centre is among the three largest in Canada.

It is also a major exporter of blood to other centres, notably Toronto. Taking Hamilton out of the equation squeezed the whole system. We didn’t enjoy doing it. So why was there a strike?

To answer that question, it helps to know who we are.

We are the professionals on the front line of ensuring the quality of the blood supply. We do a dozen tests on every unit of blood collected. It is our job to take pains over the tiniest of details. No unit of blood is pronounced "safe" without our work.

In his 1997 report on the Canadian blood system, Justice Horace Krever called for controls on the blood supply at every level. This is what our strike was about.

Our demand for contract language around professional practice did not come out of nowhere.

In 1998, when CBS was formed, the number of units of blood collected in Hamilton increased. No extra technologists were brought on to deal with the increase. Technologists believed that the volume of work was, in fact, unmanageable. The risk of errors was much greater, we said.

Technologists warned senior management of these risks. We spoke to them verbally; we made three written submissions. Our managers did not address our concerns.

Then, in December 1998 and early 1999, errors occurred that caused three recalls of blood products. Several weeks’ supply could not be used. Thousands of donors had to be called in for retesting.

Auditors from CBS and Health Canada, and independent auditors, rushed to the scene. Their conclusion? Hamilton Centre’s Laboratory was significantly understaffed. Our lab did not have the resources to handle the workload, they said.

A general housecleaning followed. Within months, we had new people in several key management positions. Services were restructured. More staff were hired.

The financial cost of this fiasco was huge, but the damage to CBS’ reputation – on which blood donations depend – was far greater. All of this might have been avoided if CBS managers had listened to the warning bells sounded by the front-line professionals.

The issue of blood quality was an important factor in lab technologists’ decision, in December 2000, to become members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.

In our early bargaining, we thought that CBS would welcome a way to give professional technologists a voice in protecting blood quality and safety. They certainly should. Front-line technologists are closer to the work. We have more experience. And because of the licensing rules of the College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario, our jobs depend on our professionalism.

In contrast to our experience, CBS management has had significant turnover. Many of our managers did not live through the Red Cross years. They did not feel the heavy burden of the Krever Inquiry. They did not go through the turmoil of early 1999. We did.

No issue is closer to the hearts of blood technologists than the quality and safety of the blood supply. We want the support we need to do our jobs properly, but that’s not all we want. We also want the whole system to thrive. We want donors to flock to collection centres.

They will only do that if they have confidence that their blood is being properly used.

Clearly, Canadian Blood Services did not need more bad publicity. But by creating a forum in which technologists can have quality issues dealt with, our Professional Practice Protocol can protect CBS’ reputation by dealing with issues before they become crises.

Technologists extend sincere thanks to everyone who supported our strike – friends and family, co-workers, unions, and the community. Thanks also to all involved in the negotiation process. And thanks to CBS for acknowledging the importance of lab technologists to blood quality and safety.