(RepublicanReport.org) – Hundreds of pharmacists and technicians working for Walgreens took a stand and walked off the job, threatening to impact hundreds of stores in multiple states. They claim understaffing and excessive workloads are interfering with their ability to do their job safely. They say the company has become unreasonable in its demands of its employees, and they want changes to improve their working conditions.
USA Today reports similar protests occurred in CVS stores about two weeks earlier, with pharmacy workers citing similar reasons. They believe the problem stems from the corporations not shelling out enough funds to hire the right number of people for the job. Pharmacists say their lists of duties have also grown well beyond simply filling prescriptions. Cuts in hours, combined with increased workloads, have led to employees making mistakes while sorting or counting pills. Others, in their haste to meet unreasonable quotas, have reportedly stuck themselves with needles when attempting to give immunizations to customers.
The non-unionized strike took place between October 9 and October 11, hitting locations in Arizona, Oregon, Massachusetts, and Washington. They organized their efforts on Reddit. One employee posted their thoughts on the mess, specifically addressing the company’s CEOs. They explain in their letter, speaking as a long-standing employee, that they’ve noticed a concerning trend over the years — company executives are enjoying larger bonuses and greater profits while their workers are struggling to meet increasingly impossible demands.
A spokesperson for Walgreens reportedly called the strike’s impacts “minimal.” They apologized for the disruptions, which they insist only affected a handful of stores, but asserted that all of their locations remained open and were working to get back to normal as quickly as they could. Still, corporate representatives have reportedly begun to schedule visits with selected locations to address the issues. The Associated Press reports that CVS was quick to respond to its pharmacy strike, and Walgreens workers are hoping to see similar results.
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