Walgreens pharmacists, technicians, and support personnel are reportedly preparing a walkout from October 9-11. While some workers only want to strike for a single day, many others say they would close their pharmacies for the whole three days, according to CNN insiders.
A Walgreens pharmacy worker and walkout organizer claimed that staff members at more than 500 of the chain's 9,000 US locations have indicated interest and support. Still, probably, only a few of those locations will actually have a walkout.
A number of CVS drugstore workers in the Kansas City region went on strike the previous week, prompting the planned action.
Unreasonable Management Expectations
Employees at several Walgreens pharmacies have joined together to protest what they see as unreasonable demands from corporate management on filling prescriptions and administering immunizations. This results in workers falling behind and having to deal with frustrated clients.
The pharmacy worker said that the company's performance standards were established by the prescribed number of team members for each drugstore. However, in practice, personnel levels are far lower. A reduction in training time for new technicians has also been made, according to the employee.
"We don't believe that Walgreens is allowing us to give our patients safe care on a daily basis. Walgreens isn't responding; they're not fixing those things," the organizer said.
Walgreens has boosted training for new pharmacists but has halted non-critical training during the hectic vaccine season, according to a company spokeswoman.
Representatives for Walgreens said that the company has never used corporate quotas and that last year, all task-based criteria were removed from the performance reports of retail pharmacy employees. The corporation has invested an additional $265 million in their countrywide pharmacy team this fiscal year. They have also established new jobs whose only responsibility is to oversee the administration and management of the company's stock of pharmaceuticals.
Walgreens pharmacy workers and activists said the outbreak made their jobs almost impossible. Common complaints include understaffing, poor pay, excessive immunization quotas, lengthy periods without restroom breaks, aggressive management, and violent clients.
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Promised Salary Increases, Recruiting Incentives
Walgreens admitted that its pharmacists were overworked in a statement to CNN.
Director of Communications Fraser Engerman said, "The last few years have required an unprecedented effort from our team members, and we share their pride in this work - while recognizing it has been a very challenging time. We also understand the immense pressures felt across the US in retail pharmacy right now. We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members."
Engerman added that Walgreens is dedicated to providing its pharmacy staff with the tools and resources they need to care for their own health and of their patients. For the most difficult-to-fill positions, the firm is increasing pharmacist salaries and offering recruitment incentives, he said.
