CVS workers at seven pharmacies in California are on strike

Employees at seven CVS pharmacies in Southern California went on strike last week to demand better pay and health care, the latest sign of unrest at the company whose CEO recently resigned amid store closures and falling stock.

Workers at four stores in Los Angeles and three others in Orange County walked off the job Friday — though the locations remained open as managers and non-union employees occupied the pharmacies.

Striking workers outside one of the Los Angeles locations asked customers not to cross the picket lines.

Workers planned to continue picketing until negotiations resume on Wednesday. But a company spokesman told the Post on Monday that employees at all seven locations were back at work and that a tentative agreement had been reached on a new contract.

The strike was approved on September 29 by a vote of the two local unions involved, United Food and Commercial Workers, with more than 90% approval.

“We have conducted more than a dozen good faith negotiations with the UFCW in recent months, including six since the contract expired in June,” CVS spokeswoman Amy Thibault told The Post.

“Throughout these discussions, we have made progress toward finalizing a contract and have already reached tentative agreements that will increase store associate compensation, with additional increases for colleagues with more than 5 years of service and colleagues with more than 10 years of service.”

CVS has also “offered to increase the amount that CVS Health contributes to the cost of health insurance for those who enroll in company-sponsored health insurance.”

“There is more work to be done, but we are committed to working together and hope to finalize an agreement soon.”

Melissa Acosta, a pharmacy technician who serves on the bargaining committee, last week accused CVS of “intimidating workers, watching them and preventing them from speaking to union representatives.”

Acosta told AP that the cost of insurance offered by CVS was too high, so she signed up for the state's Covered California program.

“In my nine years at CVS, I could never afford their health insurance,” she said.

CVS is one of three major pharmacy chains sued by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly tricking diabetes patients into buying higher-priced insulin to reap millions of dollars in rebates from drug companies.

According to the union, CVS pharmacy technicians, who must complete an extensive training program and meet licensing requirements, currently earn $24.90 an hour after five years on the job.

Carlos Alfaro, a technician who joined the strike, said stores were understaffed at the start of flu season.

“We have to call (patients) constantly to get flu shots and expedite vaccinations,” Alfaro said. “That’s a lot of extra work that’s expected of us on top of filling the medications at the pharmacy.”

Many stores are increasingly locking up items as a measure to combat shoplifting, forcing customers to seek help from employees. Workers say this is exacerbating the problem of staff shortages.

“There are so many customers who don’t get help and are constantly waiting to get something unlocked,” Acosta said.

“They think we just don’t want to help them, when in reality the company doesn’t give us enough staff to provide great customer service.”

Workers are also demanding, among other things, better security in stores.

Last week, CVS announced that Karen Lynch would step down as CEO and David Joyner, the company's longtime executive, would take over the role.

CVS made the change in response to pressure from Glenview Capital, the activist investor that has pushed for the company to take action amid its declining stock.

News of the change caused the company's shares to fall more than 5%.

CVS stock is down nearly half from its 2022 highs, in part because it repeatedly cut profit forecasts quarter after quarter, reflecting rising costs in its large health insurance business and competition for its vast network retail pharmacies.

CVS also recently announced it would cut nearly 3,000 jobs nationwide.

With post wires