Walgreens Pharmacies Could Be Closed Next Week as Employees Plan Walkout: Report

Walgreens pharmacy employees at more than 500 drugstores have said they may participate in a three-day walkout starting Oct. 9, citing staffing shortages and grueling schedules, unnamed sources told CNN.

Organizers told CNN that pharmacists, technicians and support staff are burned out from unreasonable expectations filling prescriptions and administering vaccinations, all with less staff and little training. 

“There have been nights where I’ve been on the verge of tears because of how hard it is,” an anonymous employee told the outlet. 

The planned walkout comes just as pharmacies head into their busiest time of year, with winter cold and flus bringing more patients to their counters. Staffing shortages have created poor working conditions for pharmacists and healthcare workers alike and could threaten the health of customers seeking vaccines for the flu, pneumonia, COVID-19 and RSV in addition to their regular prescriptions.

Walgreens is the second-largest provider of prescription drugs behind CVS, data shows, and has over 9,000 drugstores nationwide. Its employees’ complaints echo those of CVS pharmacists, who walked out in late September over burdensome prescription quotas they said made them unable to do their jobs well and put their patients at risk. Healthcare workers at the nation’s largest nonprofit healthcare provider, Kaiser Permanente, went on strike Wednesday.

CVS has since apologized to its workers, with an executive telling employees that they are “valued” and promised to meet with them this month to discuss working conditions, organizers told CNN. Walgreens also acknowledged the pressures felt by its pharmacists.

"The last few years have required an unprecedented effort from our team members, and we share their pride in this work — while recognizing it has been a very challenging time," the company said in a statement to The Messenger. "We are engaged and listening to the concerns raised by some of our team members...We are making significant investments in pharmacist wages and hiring bonuses to attract/retain talent in harder to staff locations."

Organizers who work at Walgreens said the three days of walkouts will harm their patients much less than continuing to operate with their current conditions. They told CNN that workers at some locations will strike for just one day, while others will participate in the full three days. Organizers said they have interest from workers at 500 locations so far, but don't expect all of them to join in the walkout.

Updated 10:28 a.m. EST: This article was updated to include a statement from Walgreens.