Some Metro Walgreens employees are joining the nationwide strike
Some Walgreens pharmacy employees, including in the Twin Cities metro area, began a three-day strike Monday morning that was expected to affect about 500 stores across the country.
The protest over “unsafe working conditions” follows a strike by CVS employees in Kansas City two weeks ago that ended with the company pledging to improve staffing levels.
A “small number” of Walgreens pharmacies experienced “disruptions,” a senior spokesman said Monday afternoon.
“We are working to get these pharmacies back into regular operations as quickly as possible. “Almost all of our 9,000 locations continue to serve our patients and customers,” the statement said.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has confirmed that at least two pharmacy technicians at the Plymouth store on Vicksburg Lane were out of work Monday morning.
One of the two employees who both personally confirmed their absence was Erin Prizant. According to her, the two make up half of the store’s full-time technicians.
In an interview at her Wayzata home, Prizant said she had no concerns with local management; It is her employer for whom she had a message.
“This is because working conditions have become too strict for many of us. Many of us are concerned about patient safety and staff safety right now,” she said.
Vicksburg Lane Pharmacy confirmed there were walkouts but would not say how many there were, saying only that it was still able to staff as usual.
According to Prizant, “staff as usual” is not enough to fulfill the expected 300-400 prescriptions per day.
“That’s easily over six hours of continuous work. And with our current budget we have one pharmacist and two technicians most days, three if we’re lucky,” she said.
Prizant considers herself a veteran with six years of experience in the industry.
“It’s a very high turnover job, with many lasting less than six months,” she continued, noting that it leaves less experienced employees increasingly responsible for more.
Prizant and two other local Walgreens employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said the biggest new hurdle this fall was a new expectation from the company to attend two vaccination appointments every 15 minutes. Previously it was a single appointment, and all three sources said there wasn’t enough time to get the job done safely.
“I was so exhausted that I accidentally stuck myself with a needle,” Prizant shared. “Luckily it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll catch anything. But I mean, this is going to affect me for six months of my life,” she continued, referring to the time between further HIV tests.
After failing to explain the increased productivity expectations and the weeks-long backlog, she said the branch should return to scheduling appointments every 15 minutes in November.
Meanwhile, Prizant hoped the strike would show companies what they believe is a need to increase staff budgets and transparency from the top down.
When asked why she stayed here instead of looking for another job, Prizant replied, “It’s because I really love working in a retail pharmacy. I love my job, otherwise I would have left.”
The Walgreens spokesman said the company “understands[s] the tremendous pressure currently being felt in retail pharmacy across the United States.”
“We are committed and listening to the concerns of some of our team members. We are committed to ensuring our entire pharmacy team has the support and resources necessary to continue to provide the best care to our patients while caring for their own well-being,” the email statement continued, adding : “We are making significant investments in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses to attract/retain talent.”
5 EYEWTNESS NEWS called several other Walgreens Pharmacy locations in the metro on Monday, none of which were willing to confirm or deny that anyone left the pharmacy.
For related stories: Shop Plymouth Renee Cooper Twin Cities