CVS pharmacists plan more walkouts over working conditions

CVS Health is facing a resumption of walkouts this week by pharmacists in Kansas City, Missouri, who are protesting working conditions in its drugstores and other locations.

After the walkouts began Thursday, the chain dispatched Chief Pharmacy Officer Prem Shah to meet Tuesday with the pharmacists.

Shah agreed to issue a public apology to the employees for the work environment and a public apology to customers for the lack of service due to those conditions, according to one of the organizers of the walkout, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.

After the meeting, pharmacists postponed further walkouts and scheduled talks for next month to address long-term solutions to issues pharmacists raised, including hiring more support staff and alleviating workload, the organizer said.

A spokesperson for CVS said late Tuesday that Shah had agreed to send a personal memo to pharmacy teams regarding the company’s delayed response to their concerns, rather than a public apology.

That led to the decision to resume the walkouts, the organizer said.

Last week’s actions closed