Of all the things we take for granted in this life, the flow of our own blood is perhaps the most fundamental. Without it, there is no life. So when there is a medical crisis in which our blood is lost, we rely on the blood services of the Red Cross to come through for us, and they always have. But this week, about 200 American Red Cross workers who collect blood donations, who process them in labs, and who deliver them to hospitals went on strike.

The work stoppage was the first by Red Cross workers in Connecticut in the past 25 years, and it was expected that the job action would reduce the daily blood collection in the state by as much as 80 percent. In their contract talks with the Red Cross, the workers have complained about long hours, unpredictable scheduling, and the increasing costs of their own health benefits. The 168-19 strike vote last Sunday night to reject the latest offer from the Red Cross reflected their commitment to improving their own working conditions.

The Red Cross does not anticipate that state hospitals will run out of blood; it reported on Monday that it had about an 11-day supply on hand plus the ability to tap national resources to keep needed blood flowing to Connecticut’s hospitals. Still both sides seem far apart on the most difficult contract issues. The Red Cross workers called the latest contract offer “insulting.”

 The breakdown of a supply system for healthy blood, whether for an individual or for an entire state, is a serious matter. This particular breakdown comes at a time when Newtown is particularly conscious of the need. A blood drive in honor of 16-year-old Greg Chion, a high school student whose battle with leukemia has drawn heavily from the arsenal of donated blood, is scheduled for May 8 from 1 to  6:30 pm at the Sandy Hook Firehouse. The sponsors of the blood drive – Women Involved in Newtown and the Western Connecticut Federal Credit Union – had to cut back the hours of the drive, but they are going ahead with plans for the event despite the uncertainty brought on by the strike. They anticipate that there will be enough professionals on hand from Red Cross management to avoid cancellation of the May 8 drive.

Greg Chion’s plight helps us all to see the importance of the Red Cross blood services system. A federal mediator has asked both sides to resume talks by the end of the week. We hope the spirit of Greg Chion, and others across the state who rely on a donated blood supply, is never far from the hearts of the negotiators. We hope the Red Cross recognizes the legitimate concerns of the blood supply workers, and the workers themselves understand that the services they are withholding in their strike are adding undue complication and concern to lives already wracked by the catastrophe of major illness. The most important thing is to get the blood flowing again.