Recently, Walgreens pharmacy staff in a few locations started laying groundwork for rallies and walkouts across the nation. Currently, the retail chain employees are chatting with other companies about join them. For years, pharmacies have complained about being understaffed with corporate management increasing their work expectations. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and exacerbated these issues.
In addition to their normal work load, pharmacy staff’s had to add testing and vaccination duties. While they new their efforts were detrimental in helping end the grip COVID had on the world, the extra work load caused nationwide staff shortage to worsen.
Over the past few weeks, pharmacists and technicians in various Walgreens and CVS locations displayed their growing frustrations by walking out. In an attempt to further display their disgust of their work conditions, they began planning mass scale demonstrations.
Taking a Stance
As discussions continue nationwide, organizers have taken to protecting their identities by remaining anonymous. At least for now. One such employee, told CNBC the demonstrations are scheduled for October 30 to November 1. A former Walgreens employee, Shane Jerominski (an independent pharmacist), confirmed the dates. Jermonski is also an organizer planning the broader work stoppage.
This year has been one of the most active in recent American history for the labor movement. Some of the most notable ones being the WGA and SAG-AFRA strike. Additionally, there was the protests conducted by truck drivers, Amazon warehouse workers, and other labor unions.
These rallies and demonstrations have provided instrumental knowledge to the public about unjust wages and compensation, staff shortages, and inhumane work conditions.
Pharmacy Issues
Two weeks ago, dozens of CVS pharmacists protested against unsafe working conditions by walking off the job. This demonstration took place in Kansas City, and left many stores short staffed or shuttered.
Within two days, several hundred pharmacy workers were participating in the movement. While many employees joined in the outcry, the impact itself was minimal when compared to the number of pharmacies in the nation.
In addition to unsafe work conditions brought on by excessive duties being placed on them, the pharmacy workers are concerned these corporations are placing profits before their patients. In fact, many of the head honchos of these pharmacies, pressure their employees to hit certain quotas. Additionally, if any pharmacy fails to hit their target, they are disciplined.
“We want patients before profits,” stated one organizer. This person has worked for Walgreens for over a decade and has seen the pressures first hand.
The company has cut hours drastically while continuing to pile more work and new programs on top of us. Customers are not being taken care of. Our patients are not being cared for. It is not safe.
The Other Side of the Retail Pharmacy Views
Marty Maloney, a spokesperson for Walgreens, stated the company understands “the immense pressures felt across the U.S. in retail pharmacy right now.” Furthermore, Maloney said that Walgreens is engaging and “listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members.”
He added the retail pharmacy is committed to making sure its team has the resources and support they need to efficiently care for their patients. Moreover, the company is “making significant investments in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses to attract/retain talent in harder to staff locations.”
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
CNBC: Pharmacy staff from Walgreens, other chains could stage nationwide walkout and rallies in coming weeks
USA Today: Walgreens pharmacists stage walkout just weeks after similar action by CVS staffers
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Inset Image Courtesy of Random Retail‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
