
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1990                   TAG: 9003071551
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

UNION URGES BUS STRIKERS TO MAKE BLOOD DELIVERIES

Union officials on Tuesday asked striking Greyhound bus drivers to use their own cars to deliver blood to hospitals where supplies have been disrupted by the five-day walkout.

The American Red Cross said it was unaware of serious disruptions caused by the strike, and a random nationwide check produced no reports of shortages, although blood was being delivered by other means in several places.

The Amalgamated Council of Greyhound Local Unions issued an "urgent bulletin" to its members Tuesday, saying it had reports the Red Cross had been unable to transport emergency blood supplies.

Union President Ed Strait asked members to use their own personal vehicles to bridge the gap.

In other strike-related developments:

A company official said replacement workers were being hired. L.D. Kratzer, general manager for Greyhound's division in Richmond, Va., would not say how many have been hired or are in training. The company said the replacements get 21 days of training, but union workers said the normal course is 12 weeks.

The driver of a bus from Los Angeles made a wrong turn onto a snow-covered dirt road near Flagstaff, Ariz., and the vehicle and about 30 passengers were stuck for about three hours.

The driver, whose identity was withheld, was not a strike replacement but was unfamiliar with the route, said a company spokesman.

Memorial services were planned today in Redding, Calif. for a driver who was killed while picketing. Robert Waterhouse, a 30-year Greyhound driver, was hit by a bus driven by a replacement driver. No charges have been filed.

by CNB