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Workers at seven CVS pharmacies in Southern California are currently on strike to demand better wages and health care and accuse the company of bad faith contract negotiations.
The strike began Friday and continued through the weekend, affecting four stores in Los Angeles and three others in Orange County. Workers striking outside a Los Angeles store on Saturday told customers not to cross picket lines, reports said. Associated Press.
Melissa Acosta, a pharmacy technician who is a member of the contract negotiation committee, alleged that the company “intimidated and surveilled workers and prevented them from speaking with union representatives,” the paper said. Reported.
Despite the strike, affected CVS locations remain open and staffed by managers and non-union employees.
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Workers at seven CVS pharmacies in Southern California are currently striking for better wages and medical care. (Joe Radle/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The workers planned to continue picketing until contract negotiations with the company resumed on Wednesday.
The strike was authorized on Sept. 29, with more than 90% of the two local Food and Commercial Workers unions involved voting in favor, according to the Associated Press.
“We are disappointed that our fellow UFCW members went on strike at several select locations in the Los Angeles area,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault said in a statement.
Thibault said the company is making progress toward a final contract and has reached a tentative agreement for salary increases and health insurance premium increases.
Acosta said he can't afford the insurance provided by CVS, so he instead enrolls in the state-run program Covered California.
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The workers planned to continue picketing until contract negotiations with the company resumed on Wednesday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“I've worked at CVS for nine years and I've never been able to afford the CVS health insurance plan,” she said.
Pharmacy chains across the country are struggling with costs and online competition.
CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch recently resigned after the company's stock price fell 19%. CVS is nearing the end of its three-year plan to close 900 stores.
Pharmacy technicians at the company must complete an extensive training program and meet licensing requirements, and currently earn $24.90 an hour after five years of service, the union said.
Carlos Alfaro, a striking technician, said stores are understaffed as flu season begins, according to the Associated Press.
Pharmacy technicians at CVS currently earn $24.90 an hour in their fifth year of service, according to the union. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Getty Images)
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“I have to call [patients] Alfaro said, “We're always working to get flu shots and administer vaccines. In addition to refilling medications at the pharmacy, this is a lot of what we're expected to do. It's an additional job.”
Many stores lock up items to prevent shoplifting, forcing customers to ask employees to unlock items like soap and laundry detergent.
“There are so many customers who don't get assistance and have to constantly wait until it's unlocked,” Acosta said. “They think we just don't want to help them. In reality, the company doesn't provide us with enough people to provide good customer service.”
Employees have also made other demands, including increased store security.
