Pharmacy Professionals Take The Union Plunge And Get Poached By… Machinists?: LRI INK

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Subject: Pharmacy Professionals Take The Union Plunge And Get Poached By… Machinists?: LRI INK

November 16, 2023

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Pharmacy Professionals Take The Union Plunge And Get Poached By… Machinists?

by Kimberly Ricci

In October, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at Walgreens and CVS began walking off the job in scattered stores across the U.S. As a result, the intersection of retail and healthcare grew slightly more chaotic after already weathering a difficult few years amid the pandemic and an ongoing ramp-up of immunizations.

Initially, the walkout’s effects on Walgreens were declared to be “minimal” and only led to shutting down a relatively small number of pharmacies in the chain for a few days. Yet a second round of walkouts followed with the grassroots effort gathering on social media. Up to this point, this was a loosely coordinated movement, but their chosen labels, “Pharmageddon” and “Operation Spotlight,” did not lack subtlety.

Naturally, this spotlight led to some union attention. Granted, some CVS and Kroger pharmacy workers are already unionized under the UFCW, and United Healthcare Workers East claims to represent around 5,000 pharmacy workers at hospitals as well as retail. However, it’s now become the union-poaching season for pharmacy workers because an unlikely union is swooping in with a total membership of 700,000 workers in various trades.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, operating under the IAM Healthcare umbrella, recently extended its affiliation to the newly launched PharmacyGuild.org. This movement, as well, is largely present online with boosts from online accounts, including The Accidental Pharmacist and RX Comedy, along with the #PizzaIsNotWorking hashtag. Those accounts claim to have a total of 300,000 followers.

The founding statement of the Pharmacy Guild describes this combined effort as “more than a union organizing effort.” Although make no mistake, this is very much a unionizing effort, which is largely being fueled by a former Walgreens pharmacist, Dr. Shane Jerominski, who runs the The Accidental Pharmacist Facebook page. Jerominski has set the goal of rounding up around 100,000 Walgreens and CVS pharmacy workers who wish to organize. He believes that number is achievable because “there is mass dissatisfaction with the state of the pharmacy right now.”

Judging from the various Reddit threads on the subject, the guild is able to spread its message easily. Some workers feel that their concerns have been dismissed by executives and that their profession sits on the brink, although Reddit threads are not typically a great way to measure organizational engagement and health.

Certainly, retail pharmacy is not for the faint of heart. Rite-Aid recently filed for bankruptcy, and macroeconomic forces continue to apply pressure to workers who are already wading through particularly delicate subject matter when it comes to customer service. Reported 12-hour shifts for some retail pharmacists aren’t helping matters, and retail metrics are bound to cause friction when applied to the healthcare industry.

Walgreens is facing the brunt of this collision of retail economics and worker empowerment. The company’s well-documented financial woes are now contributing to its staffing issues, and a new CEO hopes to right the ship on that end. A company representative also addressed how the company is working to ease up on pharmacists’ workloads while beefing up recruitment and retention efforts to improve patient safety and address worker concerns at the store level.

Still, IAMAW is proving that UAW can’t have all the fun these days with poaching. Then again, Shawn Fain actually might not be having much fun at all this week with the nail-biting Big Three vote tally. We will keep an eye on this unlikely alliance and keep you updated.

Blog Post

Beyond the Screen: The AI Drama Behind Hollywood Unions Battling the Ghost in the Machine

by Kimberly Ricci

AI jitters among workers are plentiful and, in 2023, are being increasingly seized upon by opportunistic unions in an array of industries, including Hollywood. There, the WGA recently ended a 118-day strike with a contract outlining AI protections for writers and studios. SAG-AFTRA also finally concluded their 148 day strike, which means that Deadpool 3 and Stranger Things can now resume production, but what else?

Hmm. This situation might seem to involve only actors whose concerns are removed from civilians’ daily lives. After all, neither you nor I will ever specifically experience the plight of Nicolas Cage, who revealed his surprise to watch 2023’s The Flash, in which he portrayed Superman, and saw “me fighting a giant spider.” While detailing this “nightmare,” he insisted, “I did not do that … I don’t know what happened there.”

Granted, those words seem absurd and rather funny at face value, but they are also unsettling regarding the scope of how AI can be used to render human performance completely obsolete. Cage did suggest that he had consented to de-aging for the project, so somewhere along the line, the project went off the rails with that spider.

As with all things California, these effects could spread to other industries, and the writers’ and actors’ strikes are early tests for how businesses will grapple with AI in the workplace. Soon, SAG-AFTRA members will vote on a 128-page Memorandum Of Agreement, which hasn’t been published yet but reportedly includes 16 pages of language on AI.

The SAG-AFTRA website promises that the MOA includes “meaningful protections around the use of artificial intelligence,” but does it, really? A summary of the MOA stresses requirements for “informed consent” that is “clear and conspicuous” before digital replicas of a performer can be used, whether the actor is alive or dead.

That consent was a sticking point for the union, but these results might be a little much to write home about. That’s especially the case because Section II of the Summary provides a broad swath of exceptions regarding when consent is required. Those exceptions include "[p]ost-production alterations, editing, arranging, rearranging, revising or manipulating of photography and/or soundtrack for purposes of cosmetics, wardrobe, noise reduction, timing or speed, continuity, pitch or tone, clarity, the addition of visual/sound effects or filters, standards, and practices, ratings, an adjustment in dialogue or narration or other similar purposes.” It’s a lot.

Actress and director Justine Bateman does not believe this bodes well for union members. She calls the MOA something that actors should only ratify “if they don’t want to work anymore” and “want to be replaced by… generative AI.” She is particularly concerned about a “synthetic performers” section that allegedly allows “studios/streamers a green light to use human-looking AI Objects instead of hiring a human actor.”

For her stance, Bateman received pushback from other actors, including Fear the Walking Dead and Deadwood’s Garret Dillahunt and Rent star Anthony Rapp, so we will see how the final vote tally goes. The resolution will provide a fascinating lens into how unions are attempting to harness the AI issue for their own ends and whether they will deliver on AI-related promises to workers.

For now, we will wait. Previously, we discussed ways for employers to assist workers in adopting new technology and avoid union interference. Undoubtedly, we will explore the subject much more in the future.

Blog Post

Union’s First Contracts: More Twists Than A Season Of 'Stranger Things'

by Michael VanDervort

Welcome to the wild world of union negotiations, where the quest for a first-time collective bargaining agreement (CBA) often feels like an episode straight out of 'Stranger Things' – unpredictable, a little strange, and full of twists and turns.

Starbucks Workers United: A Coffee Saga

Let's start with Starbucks Workers United. Picture this: over 8,000 workers, 360 stores, 40 states, organized since August of 2021, and yet – drumroll, please – not a single CBA in sight as of November 2023. It's like a 'Groundhog Day' scenario, where both sides seem stuck in a never-ending loop. Starbucks suggests hundreds of bargaining sessions, but the union's attendance is like spotting a unicorn, rare and almost mythical. The union accuses Starbucks of avoiding negotiations and bad faith bargaining because they don't want to engage in hybrid bargaining sessions with people calling in via Zoom.

The company has also thrown unfair labor practice charges at the union, with the union replying in kind. The union called for national negotiations by Starbucks, even though they made the successful argument for organizing by individual stores. Starbucks laughs this request off like Eddie Munson strumming his guitar in the Upside Down, unphased and ready for a supernatural showdown.

Starbucks has only three union contracts in all of North America, and those are in Canada, in provinces where collective bargaining plays under different rules. There are no contracts anywhere in the United States, and it’s unlikely that we will see one soon. One thing is sure: this tussle isn't ending anytime soon, staying more heated than your morning latte.

Trader Joe's United: Trader Who?

At Trader Joe’s, the plot thickens. Four stores have gone full ‘Viva la Resistance,’ but there's a catch – the union's allegations of coercion and intimidation have turned this into a legal thriller. Think 'Law & Order: Organized Crime' meets grocery retail. They're banking on a Cemex bargaining order from the NLRB at a store where the employees already chose not to unionize, a move akin to a buzzer-beater in basketball – high stakes, high drama. Though there have been sporadic negotiations, there is no contract to be found.

Apple Retail Union: David vs. Tech Goliath

Over at Apple Retail in Towson, Maryland, it's like watching David gear up against Goliath. The union's fighting for better pay and conditions, but Apple's been accused of playing it as cool as a villain in a spy movie. This battle in Big Tech’s backyard is more gripping than any season finale, and like the other we have mentioned, negotiations seem to be going pretty much nowhere at the moment.

REI: Not So Great Outdoors

REI workers are in it for the long haul, like a marathon runner with no finish line in sight. They want stability – steady hours, better pay – but feel like they're up against a corporate strategy as enigmatic as a Christopher Nolan plot. Getting a first union contract is like navigating a scene from "Inception," ever-shifting and changing, but never sure it is becoming a reality.

Chipotle: A Slow-Cooked Drama

Chipotle's Union tale is a slow-cooked drama. The Teamsters want a living wage and better conditions, but Chipotle's response? How about a nickel? It's like waiting for your burrito bowl during a lunchtime rush – slow, not always satisfying, and still no contract.

Amazon Labor Union (ALU): The New Frontiers

And then there’s the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), boldly going where no Amazon worker has gone before. They're like the Starship Enterprise crew of the union world, navigating uncharted territories in unionization with a big win at the Staten Island Amazon warehouse in April 2022 and basically nada to show for it since then. Nearly a year after its victory on Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is grappling with election losses at other sites and internal conflicts between its leaders. They are caught in the same cycle of ULP charges and lack of progress in negotiations as Starbucks. Current status - no contract at Amazon.

The Big Picture

So, here’s the tea: securing a first-time CBA is tougher than finding a polite comment on Twitter. And thanks to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employers aren't legally bound to agree to a contract. It's like being in a 'Hunger Games' scenario – may the odds ever be in your favor, but don't bet your bottom dollar on it.

In the end, these unions are all striving for their Hollywood ending, but the script is still being written. Stay tuned – this season of "Union's First Contracts" is far from over.

Blog Post

Signs Of UAW Dissent: Not All Is Well With Workers And The Big Three Deals

by Kimberly Ricci

Shawn Fain is counting on the UAW’s tentative deals with the Big Three to help him “pull out all the stops” to organize union-free automakers. Those targets include Honda, Toyota, and especially Tesla. The latter is key for a union that aims to stay relevant during the EV transition. Fain also wants to return to the “glory days” of 1.5 million members rather than the current 380,000 – a number that is substantially padded via far-removed industries.

He shouldn’t rest easy yet. Sure, the tentative agreements feature “historic” raises, but 25% wage increases (between now and 2028) are far less than the initial 40% union demand. That realization might be setting in for workers who lived on $500 strike pay for less than desired results.

Pre-and-post-strike approval: The UAW proudly declared that 97% of its members voted “overwhelmingly” to strike. Yet according to union tallies, the actual Big Three deals have reportedly received only 58% approval from union members who voted thus far with elections still running. It’s also worth wondering if some “yes” votes were down to the sunk-cost fallacy.

Further, it’s difficult to gauge exactly how the true tally is going, since not every local post its results, and only the final tally matters. It is, however, noteworthy that a majority of workers at some plants chose to reject their proposed contract, and some “wins” at individual plants could probably better be characterized by an “I guess so” sentiment.

Those mixed results thus far: The first Ford plant that went on strike has now voted 82% to ratify their contract. However, one Ford Chicago plant saw workers vote to ratify their deal with a non-overwhelming 57% victory, and they weren’t alone. This week, workers at Ford’s largest plant, located in Kentucky, voted “no” by 54%.

GM workers have been expressing even more hesitation, particularly over the “carrot” of a $5000 instant bonus that, after taxes and union dues, will essentially be cut in half. Also, workers at two GM plants – Flint Engines (48-52) and Romulus Propulsion Systems (49-51) – rejected their contract, possibly due to underwhelming retirement benefits.

The UAW deals with the Big Three could very well pass, yet with individual plants voting contract results down, there exists a cautionary tale for those autoworkers that the union now aims to woo.

Effects on other automakers: Union-free automakers are beginning to sweeten their own workers’ pots with raises. As such, Honda workers will gain 11%, with Toyota at 9.2%, and Subaru is still considering their next move while Hyundai decided to jump ahead to 25%. Will this be enough to stay union-free?

Fain will take credit for these non-union raises, of course. Preemptively, he has been declaring, "UAW stands for 'You Are Welcome.’” It’s a quote that is making the rounds on social media amid breaking news of wage boosts.

As well, President Biden tossed Fain a hearty congrats after being the first sitting U.S. president to join a picket line. He also encouraged Toyota and Tesla workers to unionize. Biden clearly wants the UAW’s endorsement so badly that it’s practically a spectator sport to watch.

"I hope you guys have a memory," Biden previously declared to striking auto workers. Hopefully, union-free workers will recall that Biden forced a railway deal that left members without a week of annual sick pay. A lack of an overwhelmingly positive UAW ratification vote won’t help his or Fain’s cases, either. We shall see how this all shakes out as voting continues.

Blog Post

Links Of The Week

Companies Brace as Unions Jump on Labor Board's Recognition Test

Link

Federal Government Continues Initiatives to Limit Employer Opposition to Union Organizing

Link

Asheville Food, Beverage Union Confirmed, Leaders Plan Next Steps

Link

REI Accused Of Widespread Labor Law Violations At Unionized US Stores

Link

UAW's Shawn Fain Paves A New Path For America's Labor Left

Link

About Labor Relations INK

Labor Relations INK is published weekly and is edited by Labor Relations Institute, Inc. Feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think might enjoy it. New subscribers can sign up by visiting here.

If you use content from this newsletter, please attribute it to Labor Relations Institute and include our website: http://www.LRIonline.com

Contributing editors for this issue: Phillip Wilson, Greg Kittinger, Michael VanDervort, and Kimberly Ricci

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Subject: Pharmacy Professionals Take The Union Plunge And Get Poached By… Machinists?: LRI INK