CVS Pharmacists Organize and Grow
Friday, July 8, 2011
(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Facing growing pressure to hit financial targets and working conditions that
need improvement, CVS pharmacists in the Washington, DC area have tripled their
membership in Local 400 in recent months. “I think in the past, people thought
the union is some person who goes to CVS and makes decisions for us,” says
Emanuel Njoku, a Local 400 member and 18-year CVS pharmacist who currently works
at store #0452 in Greenbelt and is one of many member activists working to sign
up their coworkers. “Now, we understand that our union is us. We are our
union.” Working people at all levels are finding themselves continually
squeezed by corporate demands for higher and higher profits,” adds Local 400
President Tom McNutt. “That’s certainly true of our pharmacists. But they
are also recognizing that by getting involved with their union, they gain the
power to have a stronger voice, to increase their security, to impact policies
that affect their jobs, and gain a better life, both professionally and
personally.” The current contract expires in July 2012; planning meetings are
being held for CVS pharmacists to prepare for upcoming bargaining and to ensure
that their concerns will be addressed. Click
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