CVS workers reach tentative contract agreement after weekend strike

By JAIMIE DING The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The unions representing more than 7,000 CVS workers in Southern California have reached a tentative agreement on a contract after workers went on strike over the weekend demanding better pay, staffing, and more affordable healthcare.

“Today proves that when workers fight, we win,” the United Food and Commercial Workers bargaining committee said in a press release. “We look forward to discussing the details of this agreement with our co-workers before we make our voices heard during the voting process.”

The walkout, which affected four stores in Los Angeles and three in Orange County, began Friday morning and continued through the weekend. The union filed unfair labor practice charges against the company over using intimidation tactics and preventing workers from speaking to their union representatives.

A bargaining session was scheduled for Wednesday to negotiate the details of a contract that expired in June.

Union members will now have an opportunity to review and vote on the contract that the committee “unanimously” recommends for approval.

Workers have said that they cannot afford the cost of the insurance CVS offers. They also say stores are understaffed to handle the extra demands of the flu season, and locked up items on shelves further exacerbates the staffing shortage.

The company said it is “pleased” to have reached a tentative agreement.

“We’re proud of our long-standing, productive relationship with the UFCW and hope to finalize a new agreement soon,” CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said in an emailed statement.

Last Friday, thousands of Rite Aid pharmacy workers in the Los Angeles area also represented by UFCW voted to authorize a strike after two months with an expired contract. The union alleged the company has committed unfair labor practices such as offering incentives to employees not to sign petitions and bargaining directly with employees.

More than 2,400 Kaiser mental health workers walked off the job Monday in an open-ended strike over increased workloads and staffing shortages that their union said have created a “substandard” system of care. Picket lines went up outside Kaiser facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.