Across the country, thousands of Walgreens pharmacy staff have walked off the job, protesting working conditions that they say are putting workers and patients at risk.
Pharmacy staff are requesting that the company hire more pharmacy staff, establish guidelines around training, including mandatory hours, and offer transparency in how payroll hours are assigned to stores, CNN reported.
The walkout began impacting stores on Monday and is expected to continue through Wednesday, according to an organizer who spoke with The Washington Post about the walkout.
Pharmacists, technicians, and support staff are all among those who have walked off the job. They claim that increased demands and understaffed teams have started to impact their ability to do their job safely.
“When you’re a pharmacist, a missed letter or a number that’s wrong in a prescription could kill somebody,” the organizer said.
Walgreens spokesman Fraser Engerman shared a statement with The Post, saying that the company is aware the last few years have been a “very challenging time.”
“We also understand the immense pressures felt across the U.S. in retail pharmacy right now,” Engerman 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.”
Engerman continued, saying they are making investments in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses to attract more staff.
The organizer shared with The Post that the walkout was inspired by ones that occurred at CVS locations in Kansas City a few weeks ago.
Michael Hogue, the chief executive of the American Pharmacists Association, shared that the issue is widespread and that pharmacists and technicians are struggling because of the lack of hiring.
“We have a problem across the entire U.S. with inadequate staffing in community pharmacies,” he said.