TPG celebrates its third union filing in Washington state and 13th new union filing for the growing movement
Seattle, Washington — Pressure against Safeway mounts as pharmacy professionals in Washington state continue to organize. Pharmacy professionals at the Covington Safeway are filing to unionize with The Pharmacy Guild (TPG). This is the third pharmacy to organize with The Guild in Washington state. The store includes 4 pharmacy technicians and 1 pharmacist. This is also the second Safeway pharmacy to file to join the union.
“Our patients and our community count on us every day,” said Sue Gratton, a 26-year veteran pharmacy technician involved in the union effort at the Covington location. “We’re forming a union so we can provide the safe, high-quality care our community deserves — and that starts with having the staffing, resources, and respect we need to do our jobs right.”
The pharmacy professionals at the Maple Valley Safeway were the first to file to join The Guild back in February. In March, an overwhelming majority of the staff at Maple Valley voted yes to be represented by The Pharmacy Guild.
Like many unionizing stores, pharmacy professionals in Covington hope to secure safe staffing measures and improve patient care. An estimated 1.5 million Americans are harmed each year by medication errors, often linked to overworked pharmacy staff. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has goes as far as to estimate that 7,000-9,000 Americans die every year as a result of a medication errors.
“Pharmacy professionals show up every day to deliver safe, quality care under increasingly difficult conditions,” said Shane Jerominski, national co-founder of The Pharmacy Guild. “We’re here to stand beside them and fight for the staffing, support, and respect they need. When pharmacy workers are empowered, patients win.”
The Pharmacy Guild has become one of America’s driving forces for transforming the pharmacy field. Across all types of employers and practice settings, pharmacy professionals nationwide are coming together to advocate for their patients and demand a real say in decisions that affect their work and care standards.