CVS Pharmacists Organize and Grow

(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 here for the rest of the story.