Walgreens, CVS Pharmacists Plan October Walkouts Over Understaffing and Poor Working Conditions

Pharmacy employees at some Walgreens and CVS stores are planning walkouts in October to protest difficult working conditions like understaffing, high quotas, and lack of breaks.

The walkouts are in response to burdensome prescription and vaccination expectations from corporate management, which employees say make it hard to safely do their jobs.

Pharmacists say they are severely understaffed, have low pay and high quotas, long stretches without bathroom breaks, abusive management, and violent customers.

The pandemic exacerbated existing problems like inadequate staffing and poor working conditions, pushing pharmacists to take action.

The Walgreens and CVS walkouts could spread more widely, as pharmacists seek union representation and leverage collective action to demand better support.