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A WALKOUT is looking on the horizon for Walgreens pharmacists and customers have been warned to plan accordingly.
In protest of worsening working conditions, a large-scale walkout of pharmacy staff at locations across the nation is planned, with whispers of other well-known pharmacy chain staff joining.
CNBC reported that these efforts, although still in the planning stages, are scheduled to result in a walkout by the end of October.
With the workplace demand only growing throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy staff claim to be overworked by high expectations and being understaffed.
Shane Jerominski, an independent pharmacist working for Walgreens confirmed that the walkouts are scheduled for October 30 to November 1.
The pharmacy segment of Walgreens generated the majority of it’s revenue, meaning these walkouts are poised to be a huge hit for the already struggling company.
There have already been recent Walgreens pharmacist walkouts, but none on such an organized and large scale.
A pharmacist also spoke to Fox Business anonymously about the reasons for previous walkout action.
“In an industry where a missed decimal point, a missed number, or a letter could mean life or death for a patient, it really becomes a dangerous situation when you’re understaffed and overworked,” they said.
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“It used to be if we got to 20 prescriptions behind it was an emergency, and now we’re well over a thousand… that means patients are going days and weeks without their needed medications.”
Jerominski, who is working closely on the walkout project, says that rallies will be held in areas with the “largest scale” walkouts.
There have been talks with multiple potential labor unions, including IAM Healthcare and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.
In addition to being “completely overworked and exhausted,” pharmacists also have safety concerns, as some patients have become violent in the past.
In response to the previous walkout, Walgreens said that operations were only minorly impacted.
Walgreens insists the walkouts have only caused “a small number of pharmacies” to experience operational disruptions.
In a statement, the chain said: “We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members.”
“We are committed to ensuring that our entire pharmacy team has the support and resources necessary to continue to provide the best care to our patients while taking care of their own well-being.”
There is no telling how this larger scale may impact customers of Walgreens, especially those needing medication.
They are warned to plan accordingly in order to ensure they have all the necessary medication.