HARTFORD, Conn. -- The American Red Cross in Connecticut announced Friday that it is laying off 22.

The organization blamed the layoffs on declining blood donations, but the union said the layoffs put public safety at risk.

The union said it has been negotiating a new contract since April. Union spokesman Larry Dorman said they layoffs are part of a hard line stance the Red Cross is taking with negotiations across the country.

The local union has been without a contract since April, and has been rallying for the last six months.

“This makes no sense, cutting workers in this economic time and with the need for blood so great … and is clearly designed to be cruel and gratuitous and hurt the public, not help the public,” Dorman said.

The Red Cross said the layoffs will not affect public safety.

The organization has suspended a specific red-cell program, and said that’s part of the reason why it’s seen 10 percent fewer donations that it normally would this time of year.

“We had to make a very difficult business decision based on declining donations, and we don’t take that lightly,” said Donna Morrissey of the American Red Cross.

That program was suspended because Department Of Public Health concerns over unlicensed workers performing the procedures, a concern the union said it shares.

Morrissey said the concerns are based on an outdated statute and the organization will try to get an exemption to get the program back up and running. In the meantime, she said the layoffs had nothing to do with union negotiations.

“It’s a sad day at the Red Cross and our hope is that people will continue to give blood and support us and our inventory needs over the holiday time period,” Morrissey said.

More union negotiations are scheduled for mid-November.