{"id":2063489,"date":"2023-10-11T13:40:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T17:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/walgreens-employees-walk-out-in-protest-against-harsh-working-conditions\/"},"modified":"2023-10-11T13:44:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T17:44:40","slug":"walgreens-employees-walk-out-in-protest-against-harsh-working-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/walgreens-employees-walk-out-in-protest-against-harsh-working-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Walgreens workers protest tough working conditions with walkout."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwalgreens-employees-walk-out-in-protest-against-harsh-working-conditions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2063489&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Pharmacy staff at multiple Walgreens outlets in \u200dthe United\u200b States are\u2063 holding walk-off protests\u200b citing overwork and dissatisfaction about work \u200cenvironments.<\/p>\n<p>Pharmacies at certain Walgreens locations in Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon, and \u200dWashington were closed on Monday, according to CNN. Several pharmacies that remained open\u200d were\u2062 severely understaffed, with\u2063 only some able to \u200boperate their drive-thru\u2062 services. Others decided to shut shop \u2062early\u200d due to a shortage \u2064of\u2063 staff.\u2064 The employee protests are not\u200d held under\u2062 any labor \u2064unions, rather, workers are \u2063organizing and coordinating walkouts independently \u200bvia platforms like Facebook and Reddit.<\/p>\n<p>A roughly two-week-old Reddit post \u2064from\u200c a Walgreens employee,\u200c calling\u2064 for\u2063 walkouts between Oct. 9 and 11, claimed that the management \u201ccontinued to\u2062 cut hours\u200c while\u200b adding more tasks,\u201d which the worker said was unsafe for both the staff and patients.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/sf-walgreens-store-suffers-20-thefts-a-day-chains-up-freezer-section-5407914?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>SF Walgreens Store \u2062Suffers \u206420 Thefts a Day, Chains Up Freezer Section<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">7\/19\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/sf-walgreens-store-suffers-20-thefts-a-day-chains-up-freezer-section-5407914?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/cvs-caremark-faces-lawsuit-over-fees-collected-from-pharmacies-5500497?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>CVS Caremark Faces Lawsuit\u2064 Over Fees Collected From Pharmacies<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/28\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/cvs-caremark-faces-lawsuit-over-fees-collected-from-pharmacies-5500497?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$-->\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI have spent hours explaining to patients why we scheduled them \u200dan appointment for \u2062a\u2063 vaccine we didn&#8217;t have.\u2063 I&#8217;ve \u2064also given over 100 vaccines in a day all by\u2063 myself while 600-plus leaflets lay on the counter. \u200cTwo \u200cof my technicians walked out mid-shift.\u200b My\u200c pharmacy has historically been top of\u2064 the chain,\u200b but these corporate\u2064 demands \u2063are unrealistic and unfair to \u200bus and \u2064to our patients,\u201d the person wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve asked for help and \u200bvoiced my concerns just as you have. They call you all whiners and \u2062tell you that you aren&#8217;t \u2018meeting expectations.\u2019 When will they meet our expectations? When will they give us the support\u2064 to meet the expectations of\u200b our patients?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an emailed statement \u2064to The Epoch Times, Walgreens said that \u201ca small number of our pharmacies are experiencing disruptions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<!--$--><\/p>\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--\/$-->\n<\/div>\n<p>The company is &#8220;working to return these pharmacies to regular operations as \u2062quickly as possible,\u201d it said while adding that a \u200dvast majority of these outlets remain open.<\/p>\n<p>However, the pharmacy chain admitted\u200b that employees were \u200boverworked.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We also understand\u2064 the immense\u2063 pressures felt across the U.S. in retail pharmacy right now. We are engaged\u2064 and listening to the concerns \u2064raised by some of our \u200cteam members. We\u2062 are committed to ensuring that our entire pharmacy\u2064 team \u2062has the support and resources necessary to continue to \u2062provide the best care \u2063to our patients while\u2062 taking care of their own \u200bwellbeing. We \u2063are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-senate-votes-to-support-finland-sweden-joining-nato\/\" title=\"US Senate Votes to Support Finland, Sweden Joining NATO\">making significant investments<\/a> in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses \u200cto attract\/retain talent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062protest at \u2062Walgreens pharmacy follows a similar\u2063 walkout\u200d last month in \u200bwhich pharmacists at CVS in the Kansas\u2063 City region shut down around 22 \u200doutlets over two weeks. CVS\u2063 management then met\u2064 with staff and assured\u2064 them\u200c of higher\u200b pay\u2063 and more support.<\/p>\n<p>In addition \u200cto pharmacies,\u2062 employees at other \u200chealth care\u2063 institutions have also gone on strikes in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept.\u200b 25, members\u2064 of \u200dthe National Nurses Organizing Committee went on\u2064 strike \u2064at\u2062 the SSM Health Saint\u2063 Louis University\u2062 Hospital in \u200bSt. Louis, Missouri, with\u2063 the \u200blabor\u2064 union raising\u2063 concerns about\u200b safe staffing and workplace violence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Last\u200b week, more than 75,000 workers\u2062 employed at\u2063 Kaiser Permanente hospital systems went\u2063 on strike \u200bciting \u200dwage and staffing \u2062issues, which the\u200c labor union called the \u201clargest health care\u2064 worker strike in U.S. history.\u201d \u200d  <\/p>\n<h2>Stressed-Out Pharmacists<\/h2>\n<p>  In\u2063 an interview with \u200cThe \u200dWashington Post, Michael Hogue, chief executive of \u200dAmerican \u200bPharmacists Association\u200d (APA), highlighted the issue of stress and safety concerns affecting pharmacy\u200b employees.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Both\u2062 Walgreens \u2062and \u2062CVS are \u200cstruggling to hire pharmacists and technicians as people\u2062 do not\u2063 wish to work in a high-stress\u200c environment where\u200d they \u200bhave little support, \u200che said. \u201cWe have a problem\u2064 across the\u200b entire U.S. with inadequate staffing in\u2062 community pharmacies.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The \u2062CVS logo at a CVS HealthHUB location \u2063in Los Angeles, Calif., \u2063on Aug. 8, 2022. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Pharmacies have also\u2064 seen\u200c an increase in incidences\u2064 of violence from frustrated customers\u200b over delayed filling of prescriptions and vaccine shortages, Mr. Hogue noted. \u201cWe\u2019re having stories of patients \u200bcoming in and \u2064screaming at the pharmacist\u200b and \u200dpharmacy technicians, violence \u2026 death threats,\u201d he \u2062said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really, really nasty and consumers are not patient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For many pharmacists, walking off\u200d the job is an unavoidable action,\u2064 the APA\u200c executive stated.<\/p>\n<p>When faced with a stressful situation, pharmacists are trained to \u201cstop, evaluate the situation, determine the circumstances around them, and then take appropriate action to correct those circumstances so that they can proceed \u2063in a \u2062fully safe environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, some pharmacies and\u2062 some \u200dlocations have determined that they cannot proceed safely without additional staff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A survey of pharmacy staff\u2062 conducted by\u2064 APA\u200d last year found that\u2062 personnel were facing difficulty in performing their duties\u200b effectively due to \u201cwork environment \u2063factors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some\u200c of \u2062the factors identified as \u2062contributing to stress among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/walgreens-employees-walk-out-in-protest-against-harsh-working-conditions\/\" title=\"Walgreens workers protest tough working conditions with walkout.\">pharmacy staff\u200b include poor training<\/a> \u200cand increased\u200b harassment and bullying by patients.\u2062 Staff were also stressed due \u2063to pharmacies adding more services to their offerings without \u200dthe adequate support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no open mechanism\u200b for\u2064 pharmacists and pharmacy personnel to\u200b discuss workplace issues with supervisors\u200b and management; if they try,\u200c the discussion \u2063is not welcomed \u2062or\u2063 heard. This is concerning \u2064because feelings of not being listened to or valued \u200dare risk factors that \u200bcan cause stress leading\u2064 to occupational burnout,\u201d the APA said.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca Snead, executive vice president and CEO\u2062 of the National \u200cAlliance of\u2062 State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), called on organizations\u200d to review\u2062 their policies and procedures to deal with incidences of bullying and harassment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPharmacy\u200b personnel\u2064 should not fear for\u200b their safety when \u2062providing\u200d patient care and serving their community\u2019s\u200b health care needs,\u201d she \u200bsaid.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> Tions\u200d and shortages of medications during the COVID-19 pandemic, further exacerbating the stressful work environment for pharmacy staff.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u2064 Hogue, pharmacists \u2064are being asked to do more with fewer resources and support<\/p>\n<h2> What challenges are pharmacy\u200b staff \u2062facing due to medication\u2064 shortages\u200d during the pandemic?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  During the pandemic, pharmacy\u2062 staff have been facing several challenges due to medication shortages. \u200cSome of these challenges include:<\/p>\n<p>1. Increased workload: Pharmacy staff have had to deal with an increased workload \u200cand higher demands\u2064 from patients as medications become scarce. This can lead to longer wait times and increased\u2064 stress for staff.<\/p>\n<p>2. Difficulty sourcing medications: Pharmacy staff frequently \u200bencounter challenges in sourcing medications due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ports-are-open-ron-desantis-announces-global-shipping-company-moving-some-operations-from-california-to-florida\/\" title=\"Ports Are Open: Ron DeSantis Announces Global Shipping Company Moving Some Operations from California to Florida\">supply chain disruptions caused<\/a> by the pandemic. As\u200d a result, they may need to spend more time\u200c contacting different suppliers and pharmacies to find the \u200drequired medications for patients.<\/p>\n<p>3. Patient communication and education: Pharmacy staff are often responsible\u2062 for \u200binforming and educating patients about medication shortages. This can involve explaining the reasons for the shortage, providing alternative medication\u2064 options, or providing guidance on \u2062managing medication needs.<\/p>\n<p>4. Medication prioritization: In cases of severe shortages,\u200d pharmacy staff may\u200b have to prioritize certain patients\u2064 or conditions for medication allocation. This\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/listen-elon-musk-presses-robinhood-ceo-about-gamestop-fiasco-restricted-trading\/\" title=\"LISTEN: Elon Musk Presses Robinhood CEO About GameStop Fiasco, Restricted Trading\">decision-making process<\/a> can be complex and challenging, as they need to balance the needs of different patients and ensure\u200b equitable distribution of limited resources.<\/p>\n<p>5. Increased risk\u200b of medication errors: With medication\u200b shortages, pharmacy staff may need to substitute medications or adjust dosages based on availability. This\u200b increases the risk of medication \u2064errors and requires\u2063 meticulous attention to \u2062detail to ensure patient safety.<\/p>\n<p>6. Emotional\u200d impact: Dealing with medication shortages can be emotionally draining for pharmacy staff, as \u2063they witness firsthand the\u200c impact on \u200dpatients who may suffer due to the unavailability of essential medications. This can lead to feelings\u2062 of frustration, helplessness, \u200cand moral distress.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, medication shortages during the pandemic have \u2063significantly strained pharmacy \u200dstaff, requiring them to adapt quickly, communicate effectively, and provide optimal care despite limited resources.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pharmacy workers across various Walgreens stores in the US are staging walk-off protests due to excessive workload and discontent with their work conditions. CNN reports that certain Walgreens branches in Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington were shut on Monday. The remaining open pharmacies faced severe understaffing, with only a few managing to offer drive-thru services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":2063490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2063489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2063489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2063489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2063490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2063489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2063489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2063489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}