Walgreens pharmacists walk out over working conditions

Following Hollywood's strike and the United Auto Workers, Walgreens pharmacists are now demanding change. 

The nation's second-largest pharmacy chain, with nearly 9,000 locations, saw pharmacists at more than 200 of those stores walk off the job, a Walgreens pharmacist and one of the people organizing the walkout told FOX Business.

Walgreens said a "small number of pharmacies" – about 10 of the nearly 9,000 – are experiencing operational disruptions as pharmacists walk off the job over challenging working conditions and that it's "working to return these pharmacies to regular operations as quickly as possible," according to a statement. 

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Employees at hundreds of additional stores plan to walk off the job through Wednesday to retaliate against conditions they claim are putting patients' lives at risk, the pharmacist explained. 

However, the pharmacist, who spoke to FOX Business on the condition of anonymity, said this is just a piece of what's to come until they get more staff to help with vaccinations and prescriptions, in addition to payroll transparency, advance notice of staff changes and schedules, mandatory training for all new hires, and ensuring job tasks match staffing levels.

Walgreens Pharmacists Want Change 

• More staff
• Payroll transparency
• Advance notice of staff changes/schedules
• Mandatory training for new hires
• Job tasks match staffing levels

WALGREENS EMPLOYEES PLANNING WALKOUTS OVER PHARMACY WORKING CONDITIONS: SOURCE

If necessary, the workers plan to escalate the matter with a pharmacy-wide protest at the end of October, the employee added. 

The original Reddit thread that initiated the walkout was posted nearly two weeks ago. It was the result of growing concern over the expectations placed on staff. 

The pharmacist claims that major pharmacy chains have been unable to effectively staff their stores and pharmacies. At the same time, these chains have also increased tasks and expectations for workers, which already sacrificed a great deal to help people throughout the pandemic, the pharmacist continued. 

WALGREENS RESOLVES COVID-19 VACCINE SUPPLY AFTER APPOINTMENT CHALLENGES

"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 continued. 

The tipping point, though, has been the recent vaccination rollout, the pharmacist added. The company implemented a vaccine scheduler "that really has opened up the floodgates for patients to come in expecting a vaccination," the pharmacist said. 

In many cases, they are seeing two patients every 15 minutes who, in most of those cases, are seeking multiple vaccinations. In turn, it's pushing the pharmacy even further behind on filling prescriptions, they said. 

In recent weeks, just one pharmacy was behind more than 1,500 prescriptions, the pharmacist said. 

"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," they said. 

After drawing attention to the issue, the pharmacist said they were told to continue prioritizing vaccinations "because they have a higher gross profit for our company." 

CVS, WALMART CUT PHARMACY HOURS AS PHARMACIST SHORTAGE PERSISTS

"That was the wake-up moment that our company really has prioritized profits over patients," they said. 

However, Walgreens told FOX Business that it acknowledges the pressure its pharmacists are facing – especially during this time of year when the company deals with some of the highest rates of respiratory illnesses and seasonal vaccinations – and that it's listening to their concerns. 

"We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members," Walgreens said in a statement. "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." 

Walgreens Statement on Striking Pharmacists 

- "We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members," Walgreens said in a statement. "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."

In particular, the company said it has been making significant investments in wages and hiring bonuses in order to retain pharmacists in hard-to-staff locations. 

According to Indeed, the average annual salary for a Walgreens pharmacist in the U.S. is approximately $118,224. However, the pharmacist told FOX Business that most are paid closer to $125,000. 

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In total, Walgreens shelled out $265 million of incremental investments in its pharmacist team in fiscal year 2023, and dedicated positions to better manage inventory and administrative tasks for pharmacy teams, so they can spend more time with patients. 

The company also implemented flexible scheduling models that will allow pharmacy teams to adjust schedules and staffing to meet customer demands.

Walgreens also said it's encouraged store and district leaders to pause routine activities during the busy season to focus on clinical care and services for patients. 

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Walgreens isn't the only drug-store chain trying to manage burnout. CVS, in some locations, closes the pharmacy for a 30-minute lunch break.

Editor's note: The original headline has been updated to reflect that fewer than 100 Walgreens pharmacists walked out