CVS Encounters Another Roadblock—Workers Go on Strike In California

Workers are taking the matter of their pay and benefits into their own hands once more at CVS. Late last week, CVS workers in California went on strike after they claimed that the company was involved in bad-faith bargaining. The strike was authorized by the union representing the workers in the area, namely the United Food and Commercial Workers union. 

The Southern California CVS union strike was formalized on September 29, with more than 90% of members in favor of setting up their picket lines. The strike is only being pursued by four stores in Los Angeles and three in Orange County this time, but it isn’t the company’s first encounter with protesting workers this year. 

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CVS Workers Strike in California, Will Pay Demands Be Met to Their Satisfaction?

The CVS workers’ strike in California began on Friday and continued over the weekend, the conflict occurring over matters of pay and health care. The negotiations are expected to resume on Wednesday and the strike is expected to end then as well. 

The seven stores where the strike is occurring have remained open, managed entirely by non-union employees, however, according to online reports, striking workers urged customers not to cross the picket lines and purchase from the stores. 

What Do the CVS Employee Demands Include?

The exact pay demands made by CVS employees have not been revealed, however, workers have spoken to news portals and expressed that they are trying to secure a $3-4 USD raise for front store workers, with a $6 USD raise for pharmacy technicians. 

Pharmacy workers reportedly make $24.90 USD an hour after having worked at the organization for five years, which the workers believed is too little compensation for the work done. These employees state that despite working at the organization for years, they have not been able to comfortably afford the company’s health care plans. 

Workers have also stated that they are tasked with a lot of additional responsibilities like calling patients and reminding them to go in for their shots and medication. This additional work goes unrecognized, adding to their workload while their stores are already understaffed. With the anti-theft measures requiring customers to call for employee attention repeatedly, the problem is further exacerbated. Increased store security is also mentioned among the demands.

A lot of the information we have regarding the Southern California CVS union strike comes from Melissa Acosta, a pharmacy technician who is also on the bargaining committee. She stated that the company was involved in “intimidating workers, observing them, getting in the way of them speaking to union representatives.”

How Has CVS Responded to the Strike?

AP News reports that company spokesperson Amy Thibault provided a statement, “We’re disappointed that our UFCW member colleagues have gone on strike at a few select locations in the Los Angeles area.” The spokesperson also added that they have arrived at “tentative agreements” to increase pay and the company contributions to employee health insurance.

Last month, CVS was forced to make big changes to its workforce, laying off over 2,900 employees. These job cuts were said to mainly affect workers in the corporate segment of the business, with talks of the company breaking up its retail and insurance business into separate units to further change how the organization works. 

The pharmacy chain is reaching the end of its deadline to shut down over 900 stores, marking a big step forward in its reorganization efforts. Competitor Walgreens also recently announced that it was going to close over 1,200 unproductive stores and Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy last year, choosing to close up to 500 stores. Pharmacies across the country are facing challenges with their business model and unhappy workers are an additional aliment in the overall problem. 

CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch has also stepped down from her role after it was revealed that the company shares sank 19% this year. Not only does this mark a significant moment for the organization, but it also leaves only 45 female CEOs in the S&P 500.

CVS Health executive David Joyner is taking over the role and has a monumental task set in front of him as the organization works to bring the business back to its glory days as the top choice for customers. 

The CVS strikes in California are not the first instance of worker unity the organization has seen this year. Two CVS retail stores in Rhode Island voted to unionize earlier in May, organized in an effort to represent a united front to highlight worker concerns. With more unionization efforts and protests occurring across the country, it is apparent that it is time for a big push toward prioritizing employee pay and benefits in the coming years.

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