CVS, Walgreens both say pharmacist ‘walkout’ had minimal impact

Both CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance said Wednesday that a planned walkout  by some U.S. pharmacists this week had minimal impact on operations, with most stores remaining open, according to reporting from Reuters. 

CVS Chief Executive Karen Lynch told Reuters that employees had called in sick at a few stores this week, but there were no store closures or disruptions to shifts due to the action. 

A Walgreens spokesperson told Reuters that the walkout — dubbed “Pharmageddon” and largely planned over social media — had little impact and that only three pharmacies were closed temporarily over the past three days.

The spokesperson said no U.S. pharmacies were closed on Wednesday, the final day of the walkout. 

The walkout would mark the third time that pharmacy personnel have staged a protest to get their point across about a working environment where employees say they are largely understaffed and underpaid. Shane Jerominski, a former Walgreens pharmacist and one of the organizers of the walkout, told Reuters on Monday that as many as 5,000 pharmacy workers would walk out across the three days. 

CVS’s Lynch said the company has spent about $1 billion on improving wages for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.