Walgreens Pharmacists Walk Out, Demanding Better Working Conditions

The national walkout, Oct. 9 to 11, has hit stores in North and Northeast Portland.

A COVID-19 testing site at a Walgreens in Hillsboro in early 2020. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Rachel Saslow

Walgreens customers would be wise to call ahead before stopping by the pharmacy for a refill this week. Pharmacists, technicians and support staff plan to walk off the job today through Wednesday across the country in protest of what they describe as unacceptable working conditions.

The Walgreens on Southeast Holgate Boulevard was open as usual Monday morning, but an employee said the staffs at three pharmacies in North and Northeast Portland have walked out. CNN has confirmed that pharmacies have closed in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Massachusetts; social media is buzzing with news of walkouts in other states.

“The pharmacists and technicians who have walked out today really see this as a last resort,” says Michael D. Hogue, chief executive officer of the American Pharmacists Association in Washington, D.C.

Hogue estimates there is a national shortage of almost 30,000 pharmacy technicians right now.

“Pharmacists are trained that whenever things seem unsafe they stop, assess the situation and do whatever is necessary to make sure the patient can be maintained,” he says. “Pharmacists have not had the assistance they need to provide effective and safe patient care.”

The protest comes a week after employees walked off the job at CVS stores in Kansas City, shuttering at least a dozen pharmacies there. Workers returned only after the company promised to increase staffing levels so that pharmacy workers could start taking more regular restroom breaks. A spokesman for CVS said that he is “not seeing any unusual activity regarding unplanned store closures” in Portland this week.

Fall marks the height of customer demand for the flu vaccine, as well as the newly formulated COVID-19 shot.

In a statement, a spokesman for Walgreens says: “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.”

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