Walgreens Reportedly Confronts Impending Staff Walkout — Is Your Local Pharmacy Shutting Down Next Week?

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA employees, including pharmacists, technicians, and support staff, are reportedly gearing up for a nationwide walkout slated between Oct. 9 and Oct.11. 

The frustration stems from what the workers describe as unbearable working conditions and inadequate staffing that make it challenging to even fill prescriptions safely, according to a news report by CNN.

As a result, employees often purportedly find themselves dealing with "angry customers."

"The patients are caring more about us than the employer," one employee told CNN. The planned walkout is expected to involve employees from over 500 of the approximately 9,000 Walgreens stores across the United States. 

The Protest

Employees, some of whom have chosen to remain anonymous, said that the joint action at some Walgreens stores is in reaction to what pharmacy employees call "burdensome prescription and vaccination expectations" levied on pharmacists from corporate management. 

"Walgreens isn't responding, they're not fixing those things," a Walgreens pharmacy employee and walkout organizer told CNN.

The employees highlighted insufficient staffing and reduction of training hours for new technicians.

Corporate Response

In response to the allegations, Walgreens stated that there have never been corporate quotas and that all task-based metrics for retail pharmacy staff were eliminated last year. 

The company also highlighted its $265 million incremental investments in its nationwide pharmacy team this fiscal year and the creation of dedicated positions to manage inventory and administrative tasks for pharmacists.

In September, CVS Health Corporation pharmacists in the Kansas City area staged two walkouts over two weeks, resulting in as many as 22 pharmacies being shuttered in a planned protest, CNN added. This action prompted executives from the Rhode Island-based retailer to meet with staff, assuring them that additional support and higher overtime pay were on the way.

Price Action: WBA shares closed lower by 1.67% to $21.81 on Friday. Shares gained 0.23% to $21.86 after hours. 

This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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