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Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens, other chains are walking out again — here’s what you need to know
PUBLISHED SUN, OCT 29 20238:00 AM EDT
Annika Kim Constantino@ANNIKAKIMC
Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens and other drugstore chains are planning to walk out next week in the latest pushback against what they call unsafe working conditions that put both employees and patients at risk.
Organizers of the effort and some pharmacy employees told CNBC they hope the work stoppage will push companies to make meaningful changes to address the long-standing grievances of many retail pharmacy staff, who have complained about having to grapple with what they describe as understaffed teams, insufficient pay and increasing work expectations imposed by corporate management.
The walkout, which organizers have dubbed “Pharmageddon,” will occur Monday through Wednesday across different retail pharmacy locations nationwide, organizers of the effort told CNBC.
An organizer named Shane Jerominski, an independent pharmacist who used to work for Walgreens, said the walkout could tentatively affect hundreds of stores across different chains.
Jerominski, who is a pharmacy labor advocate, said organizers still don’t have a definitive count of employees who will participate in the effort. But he noted that the “bulk” of those who have signaled they plan to walk out are staff from Walgreens — who laid the groundwork for the initiative — and employees from CVS and Rite Aid.
Organizers are also planning to hold rallies outside a few locations in different parts of the country, according to Jerominski and a second person involved with the planning, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Jerominski and the person, who is a former pharmacy manager at supermarket chain Publix, also said they are considering a push for unionization of pharmacy staff who are currently not represented. There are no concrete agreements to move forward to join a labor group.
A spokesperson for Walgreens said the company recognizes the “incredible work our pharmacists and technicians do every day” and that it has taken several steps in its pharmacies “to ensure that our teams can concentrate on providing optimal patient care.”
The company’s ongoing efforts are focused on how it can recruit, retain and reward pharmacy staff, the spokesperson said. They added that Walgreens has improved technology and centralized many operations to help maintain appropriate workloads in pharmacies.
A CVS spokesperson said in a statement that the company isn’t seeing any “unusual activity regarding unplanned pharmacy closures or pharmacist walkouts currently.”
The spokesperson added that the company is engaging with staff to directly address any concerns they might have, and is focused on developing a “sustainable, scalable action plan” to support both pharmacists and customers.
A spokesperson for Rite Aid did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the upcoming walkout.
The work stoppage will come weeks after some pharmacy staff from Walgreens locations around the country, and CVS stores in the Kansas City area, engaged in separate walkouts over working conditions. Notably, CVS management apologized to Kansas City pharmacy staff and committed to a series of improvements — including adding staff and paid overtime — after the walkouts there ended.
The demonstrations at pharmacies add to what has been one of the most active years for the U.S. labor movement in recent history.
CVS and Walgreens were the biggest pharmacies in the U.S. based on prescription drug market share in 2022. Both chains operate around 9,000 retail store locations across the country.
CVS has more than 30,000 pharmacists and 70,000 pharmacy technicians, while rival Walgreens has more than 86,000 health-care service providers, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other positions. CVS pharmacists make $61.44 an hour on average, while Walgreens pharmacists make $53.85 per hour on average, according to employment website Indeed.
PUBLISHED SUN, OCT 29 20238:00 AM EDT
Annika Kim Constantino@ANNIKAKIMC
- Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens and other U.S. drugstore chains are planning to stage a nationwide walkout from Monday through Wednesday.
- The effort, which organizers have dubbed “Pharmageddon,” is the latest pushback against what pharmacists and technicians call unsafe working conditions that put both employees and patients at risk.
- Organizers are also planning to hold rallies outside a few locations in different parts of the country, and are considering unionizing pharmacy staff who are currently not represented.
Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens and other drugstore chains are planning to walk out next week in the latest pushback against what they call unsafe working conditions that put both employees and patients at risk.
Organizers of the effort and some pharmacy employees told CNBC they hope the work stoppage will push companies to make meaningful changes to address the long-standing grievances of many retail pharmacy staff, who have complained about having to grapple with what they describe as understaffed teams, insufficient pay and increasing work expectations imposed by corporate management.
The walkout, which organizers have dubbed “Pharmageddon,” will occur Monday through Wednesday across different retail pharmacy locations nationwide, organizers of the effort told CNBC.
An organizer named Shane Jerominski, an independent pharmacist who used to work for Walgreens, said the walkout could tentatively affect hundreds of stores across different chains.
Jerominski, who is a pharmacy labor advocate, said organizers still don’t have a definitive count of employees who will participate in the effort. But he noted that the “bulk” of those who have signaled they plan to walk out are staff from Walgreens — who laid the groundwork for the initiative — and employees from CVS and Rite Aid.
Organizers are also planning to hold rallies outside a few locations in different parts of the country, according to Jerominski and a second person involved with the planning, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Jerominski and the person, who is a former pharmacy manager at supermarket chain Publix, also said they are considering a push for unionization of pharmacy staff who are currently not represented. There are no concrete agreements to move forward to join a labor group.
A spokesperson for Walgreens said the company recognizes the “incredible work our pharmacists and technicians do every day” and that it has taken several steps in its pharmacies “to ensure that our teams can concentrate on providing optimal patient care.”
The company’s ongoing efforts are focused on how it can recruit, retain and reward pharmacy staff, the spokesperson said. They added that Walgreens has improved technology and centralized many operations to help maintain appropriate workloads in pharmacies.
A CVS spokesperson said in a statement that the company isn’t seeing any “unusual activity regarding unplanned pharmacy closures or pharmacist walkouts currently.”
The spokesperson added that the company is engaging with staff to directly address any concerns they might have, and is focused on developing a “sustainable, scalable action plan” to support both pharmacists and customers.
A spokesperson for Rite Aid did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the upcoming walkout.
The work stoppage will come weeks after some pharmacy staff from Walgreens locations around the country, and CVS stores in the Kansas City area, engaged in separate walkouts over working conditions. Notably, CVS management apologized to Kansas City pharmacy staff and committed to a series of improvements — including adding staff and paid overtime — after the walkouts there ended.
The demonstrations at pharmacies add to what has been one of the most active years for the U.S. labor movement in recent history.
CVS and Walgreens were the biggest pharmacies in the U.S. based on prescription drug market share in 2022. Both chains operate around 9,000 retail store locations across the country.
CVS has more than 30,000 pharmacists and 70,000 pharmacy technicians, while rival Walgreens has more than 86,000 health-care service providers, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and other positions. CVS pharmacists make $61.44 an hour on average, while Walgreens pharmacists make $53.85 per hour on average, according to employment website Indeed.