By Emily Le Coz | March 25th, 2024
A national effort to unionize pharmacists against worsening conditions inside chains like CVS and Walgreens has hit a milestone as workers at the first of what organizers say will be dozens of pharmacies files a federal petition seeking the right to join The Pharmacy Guild.
The petition, expected to become public today, puts CVS on notice that workers in its Omnicare pharmacy in Las Vegas intend to hold an election to determine whether the newly formed guild should represent them in labor negotiations with the Fortune 500 company.
Nearly 30 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work at the Omnicare location, which fills prescriptions for nursing homes across Nevada and is not a public-facing pharmacy like most of the chain’s more than 9,600 locations. A simple majority is needed to win and organizers told USA TODAY they are confident they have the numbers.
“It’s time to move away from the system of abuse and intimidation,” said Bled Tanoe, an Oklahoma pharmacist and a founding member of The Pharmacy Guild, which attracted hundreds of people to its booth at the American Pharmacists Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend.
Read the full story at USAToday.com