THE UPS STRIKE; The United Parcel Service strike is leading to headaches and increased shipping costs for many customers across the nation. But competitors are gleeful. USA TODAY reporter Donna Rosato tells these stories of ho w people are coping with the biggest labor strike in more than a decade. See related stories: 01A, 03B

The United Parcel Service strike is leading to headaches and increased shipping costs for many customers across the nation. But competitors are gleeful. USA TODAY reporter Donna Rosato tells these stories of how people are coping with the biggest labor strike in more than a decade.

America's Blood Centers, a non-profit organization that collects nearly half the blood for the nation's blood banks, destroyed 800 pints of blood because Federal Express and Airborne Express are no longer guaranteeing overnight delivery. Deluged with packages because of the strike, the delivery companies canceled their guarantees last Monday. Blood is packed in ice for shipping and must be kept at 32 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit or it goes bad. ``This strike couldn't have happened at a worse time. With summer vacations at schools and businesses, our blood centers were depending on shipments from others to get them through the summer,'' says Melissa McMillan, Blood Centers spokeswoman. The strike could cause severe blood shortages later this year, warned Jim MacPherson, executive director of America's Blood Centers. The organization collects about 5.4 million pints a year and serves hospitals in 46 states.