Workers at Walgreens pharmacies nationwide are planning to go on strike next week, specifically on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The purpose of the strike is to protest against their working conditions.
Pharmacies across the country are currently dealing with shortages of staff and essential medications. Additionally, the arrival of flu season and new variants of COVID-19 has increased the demand for vaccination services. These factors have contributed to the dissatisfaction among employees and their decision to strike.
One specific concern raised by employees is the corporate benchmarks set for prescription and vaccination performance. Many employees feel that these benchmarks are unrealistic, especially considering the understaffed pharmacies. An anonymous organizer of the walkout mentioned that Walgreens sets performance standards based on the number of staff a pharmacy should have, without accounting for the actual staff shortages.
Furthermore, employees claim that training hours for new staff members have been reduced, which adds to their concerns about patient safety. More than 500 locations out of the 9,000 Walgreens stores across the United States have expressed interest in participating in the walkout.
According to the organizer who spoke to CNN, Walgreens has been unresponsive to these concerns, which has further fueled the employees’ frustrations. A post shared on the Walgreens stores subreddit detailed the plan of action for those participating in the strike. The invitation was extended to all workers, including store managers, customer service representatives, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.
The main goal of the strike is to impact Walgreens’ stock price as the company prepares to announce its fourth-quarter results for fiscal year 2023. In addition to the strike, employees were urged to contact their local Boards of Pharmacy as whistleblowers.
Walgreens, on the other hand, stated that only non-essential training has been reduced and that performance metrics tied to specific tasks were phased out last year. The company recognizes the challenges faced by retail pharmacies across the country and claims to be listening to the concerns raised by some of its team members.
Perspective: Employee strikes are an important form of collective action that empowers workers to voice their concerns and bring attention to issues that directly affect their working conditions. By coming together and demanding change, employees have the opportunity to influence corporate policies and make meaningful improvements in the workplace. It is crucial for companies like Walgreens to actively listen and engage with their employees’ concerns, as they play a vital role in the success and growth of the business.
