A universal stripper plate (40) for operating on a plurality of different types of collection containers or tubes (20). The universal stripper plate includes a universal button (42) for aligning and seating the various tube stoppers or caps (26) for piercing. The universal button is mounted onto a stripper plate, which can be driven into the tube seating/alignment, tube piercing and aspiration and tube release positions. The universal stripper plate also can include a bar code tab (76) to provide a bar code reference and a piercing needle alignment for the various tubes.