First Omnicare Branch Joins National Pharmacy Union for Staff Safety and Compensation Reforms

In a groundbreaking development for pharmacy workers across the United States, an Omnicare branch located within a CVS store in Las Vegas has become the first outlet to join a newly established national union. The historic move was achieved by nearly 30 employees at the facility who fill prescriptions for vulnerable patients residing in long-term care homes throughout Nevada following an overwhelming victory secured via Thursday’s landslide ballot result, with a decisive majority of 87% supporting membership to the Pharmacy Guild. The newly established trade organization aims to advocate and represent its members during contract negotiations while promoting legislative reforms that would enhance pharmaceutical industry standards for patient safety across America.
The move is part of an ongoing campaign spearheaded by IAM Healthcare, a union representing thousands of healthcare professionals nationwide, in collaboration with Shane Jerominski – co-founder and community pharmacist at the Pharmacy Guild. The initiative follows a recent walkout that took place across major drugstore chains such as CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid last October to highlight issues surrounding unsafe staffing levels, mounting workloads, and inadequate compensation for employees working within these establishments.
Jerominski highlighted the significance of this breakthrough during an interview with CNBC, stating that “We’re going to try to get a best-in-the-industry contract for these people who have put their trust into our union to represent them…It’s historic win and a very decisive one.” The development marks the culmination of years of mounting discontent among retail pharmacy staff, many of whom grapple with understaffed teams and intensifying workload demands enforced by senior management. As noted earlier by Jerominski, these issues have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic as new duties such as testing and vaccination services further stretched employees already struggling to cope amidst staff shortages.
In a statement released in response to this development, CVS Health spokesperson stated that “We respect our employees’ right to unionize or refrain from doing so,” adding: “[The] Company is committed to providing positive working conditions for all of its workers and remains focused on collaborating closely with them as we continue to address their current and future concerns.”
Omnicare, which was acquired by CVS in 2015, operates over 49 facilities nationwide. The guild’s objective is not restricted to Omnicare branches alone; Jerominski affirmed that the issues faced by employees at these outlets are shared across all major pharmacy chains throughout America. “It’s not specific to Omnicare,” he said, adding: “[The] Problems they were expressing [were] the same problems I am hearing across the country.”
Jerominski also highlighted that staff shortages and low starting salaries for technicians are two of several issues affecting pharmacy workers nationwide. “You can’t retain individuals with a skill set and a family, especially in this kind of job stress level… If you don’t even just guarantee them their 40 hours,” he told CNBC.
The Pharmacy Guild is witnessing growing momentum across the country as pharmaceutical staff at two retail stores located within Rhode Island have confirmed that they are now pursuing unionization with the guild, according to Jerominski’s statement. CVS has its headquarters in this state.