Walgreens Pharmacists Aim to Join Pharmacy Guild

A group of 10 pharmacists and technicians at a Walgreens store in Vancouver, Wash., has officially filed a petition to vote on joining the Pharmacy Guild, a newly formed union dedicated to organizing pharmacy workers nationwide. This marks a significant milestone, as it is the first instance where Walgreens employees have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to align with the Pharmacy Guild, which is affiliated with IAM Healthcare, a union representing healthcare professionals.

According to a spokesperson for the union, interest in joining the Pharmacy Guild has been expressed by workers at other Walgreens locations as well. The group of Walgreens employees has voiced concerns over heavy workloads and insufficient staffing levels.

In their joint statement, the Vancouver Walgreens workers emphasized their commitment to patient care, stating, “We care deeply for our patients – their health and safety is our top priority in this drive to unionize. We are united with a strong majority to make positive change. We call on Walgreens to not only respect our rights to unionize but to actively work with us to improve conditions for both patients and pharmacy professionals.”

A Walgreens spokesperson responded by affirming the retailer’s dedication to fair compensation for its employees. “We respect the right of our team members to choose to be represented by a union but continue to believe the best way to maintain a positive environment is through the direct relationship between our team members and their managers,” the spokesperson told Supermarket News.

In addition, workers at several CVS locations across the country are also pursuing membership in the Pharmacy Guild. Earlier this year, pharmacists at a CVS Omnicare facility in Las Vegas became the first to vote for union representation, followed by those at two CVS drugstores in Rhode Island.

The Walgreens workers indicated that they initially requested voluntary recognition of the union, but Walgreens did not respond. Consequently, they filed a petition for an election with the NLRB.

“The issues we have heard from pharmacy professionals are not limited to a single employer or part of the country,” stated Shane Jerominski, co-founder of the Pharmacy Guild. “Having worked at Walgreens, I am all too familiar with the challenges these professionals are unionizing to address.”

Currently, about 900 Walgreens pharmacy workers across 400 stores in the Chicago area are represented by the National Pharmacists Association. Additionally, several workers at other Walgreens locations are affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, which represents approximately 20,000 workers at Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid stores.

Despite this representation, the majority of pharmacists nationwide remain non-unionized. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that only 4.6% of pharmacists in the U.S. are union members, although interest in unionization is growing amid complaints of increased workloads associated with services like vaccinations and testing. In response to these concerns, employees at both CVS and Walgreens staged walkouts at various locations last year.

In light of these developments, both retailers have stated that they have increased wages and benefits for pharmacy workers and taken additional measures to alleviate employee pressures.