After seeing success from CVS pharmacy workers calling out of work over staffing concerns in Kansas City, Walgreens employees organized a walkout — but it's unclear whether the scattered labor action will result in change.
Five things to know:
1. Walgreens pharmacy workers planned walkouts Oct. 9-11 in a non-union planned action, causing locations in Arizona, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington to pause operations, CNN reported.
2. Thousands of Walgreens employees are participating in the walkout, according to The Washington Post. Since there isn't a union leading the walkout, specific numbers on participating employees and affected locations are sparse. An organizer told CNN more than 500 of the chain's 9,000 stores could be participating, but Walgreens told Fox Business operations at only 10 locations were affected.
3. Organizers cited multiple reasons for the walkout, including burnout from understaffing and heavy workloads, patient situations escalating in violence, and the lack of mandatory training hours for incoming staff. A Walgreens spokesperson told the outlets that the pharmacy chain is "committed to ensuring that [its] entire pharmacy team has the support and resources necessary to continue to provide the best care to [its] patients while taking care of their own well-being."
4. A few health systems with locations in Arizona and Washington told Becker's their hospital pharmacy operations have not been affected by the walkout. But, if the walkout extends to other states, reduced access to pharmacies could strain medical offices, urgent care centers and emergency rooms because of an influx of patients, according to NBC News.
5. In late September, at least 22 CVS pharmacies in the Kansas City metro area were temporarily closed after pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and support staff called out of work. The locations reopened Sept. 28 after CVS executives flew to Kansas City and agreed to provide additional staffing and paid overtime. On Reddit, Walgreens workers are reporting that corporate leaders are scheduling visits to some locations once the walkout ends.