About 30 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at a Las Vegas CVS Omnicare filed to unionize March 25, making them the first in their industry to seek unionization.
The pharmacy workers are looking to join the Pharmacy Guild, a new trade union created by the organizers of a small-scale, three-day walkout among CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid employees in late 2023.
"Unsafe staffing levels have reached crisis levels for pharmacies across America, with severe shortages consistently reported by pharmacy professionals across the 'Big Three' retail pharmacy chains: CVS, Walgreens and RiteAid," the union said in a news release.
Employees at dozens of other retail and grocery chain pharmacies have shown interest in joining the new union, Shane Jerominski, PharmD, a Walgreens pharmacist in California and one of the founding members of the Pharmacy Guild, told USA Today.
A CVS spokesperson told Becker's the company has not reviewed the petition but said "we respect our employees' right to either unionize or refrain from doing so."
"We believe the direct, two-way relationship we have with our colleagues is the best way to resolve workplace concerns," the spokesperson said. "We continually listen to our colleagues' feedback, which helps inform our programs and policies."